The WIN Firm: Leading start-ups and young businesses to growth!

Using video to create a professional image

2010-11-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Hi there! It's Chris Teague, Creative Director for the WIN Firm brining news from WIN's underground marketing warehouse.

Each company I have worked with over the years wants to promote quality in everything it does... Having the options of social media today, many of our clients seek to engage audiences by using these new social tools. However, we are reminded everyday how important some of the traditional tools, like video, are to a company's professional perception. Yes friends, it is important to remember how important a visual image is to a customer's perception of your organization.

The example below demonstrates just how important one of our client's thinks video is to his company's success...

In the video above, Phil Bachman Toyota had the look, concept and script already laid out for us at WIN. All we had to do was deliver a HD, quality spot that separated the dealership from lower quality produced spots that the local TV stations were offering. Why? Phil Bachman spends a lot of money on TV broadcast advertising and deserves to have the latest and newest technology incorporated into their visual communications. Even though we at WIN did not create the script or concept, we still were able to deliver a bit of creativity by making sure the dealership's video stood out with quality filming.

You and I know the importance of maintaing a positive perception among our customers... Using old tools, like video, and incorporating new technology is one way WIN has helped our clients maintain the professional identity they represent. Please share with me some of the ways you are using old tools and incorporating new technology to demonstrate your commitment to communicating a professional identity. Feel free to email me your examples.

Take care everyone... Go do great things today!

Your guy making marketing simple,
Chris Teague

Back from Brasil!

2010-11-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Hi, I am Chris Teague , the Creative Director and Content Manager for the WIN Firm. Welcome to our firm's blog!

WIN Firm is back from Brasil and ready to rock out our new marketing program for start-ups and young businesses! After spending several weeks in Brasil and planning for a new year, we took some time off from blogging about our company and made sure we came out with innovative and engaging information for each you! So, we are here to announce the WIN Firm is driven to help you take your business to new heights!

Check out a recent thirty-second clip we created for a fun toy store!

Following the fever of the World Cup, we captured what fans in the U.S. did at a cool restaurant in Johnson City, TN!

I look forward to engaging each of you here on the WIN Firm's blog! Be ready to see what we can do for you...

Take care,
Chris Teague

On Your Mind?

2010-03-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Good day to each of you following The WIN Firm here on blogger and on our web-site. This is Chris Teague, Vice President of The WIN Firm, and I have some cool stuff to share with you today. Let's get moving!

Last post we brought you tales from a campaign designed to help a local charity make a bit of cash during these tough times. The campaign for those of you who may have forgotten is called the Dream Ticket. Today, we will explore the emotional elements at play in this campaign and why each communication message we craft for the campaign is written to engage the sub-surface so that the Dream Ticket remains fresh on YOUR MIND. As you continue reading below, you will see how understanding cultural communication is important to message crafting.

Our first audience is the NASCAR fan. We at The WIN Firm have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to understanding the cultural persuasions of a sport based on left-hand turns and continuous laps. Yes, you may like the sport, but you do for cultural reasons. Did you know that? Seriously, any sport is liked or not liked due to our cultural mentality. In fact, we make judgements about products everyday based on our up-brining. Don't believe me? How many of you went out on St. Patrick's Day and aren't even Irish? My point: St. Patrick's Day is embedded into our culture due to the influx of Irish immigrants that built this country.

Though we left NASCAR for a moment to discuss culture, we are now back to the power of NASCAR culture and The WIN Firm's understanding of this culture. Our Dream Ticket is very appealing to the fan in this sport. Why? Because this sport is all about the driver and how the consumer or fan perceives the driver. Dale Earnhardt Sr. presently sales the third most merchandise in the sport even though he sadly passed away. Fans are loyal to their driver, which is not new information. However, our concept of creating a Dream Ticket plays on this loyalty. How? Stay with me.

When developing key prizes to give away in order to make our raffle successful, The WIN Firm conducted an extensive research campaign that involved attending many NASCAR races and walking among the crowd. Sales numbers couldn't possibly reveal as much information as our WIN Analyst Team gathered interviewing and spending time with the fans. At the end of the day, we discovered what fans drank, ate, size of TV they liked, their favorite driver, what races were their favorite, what their style of dress was outside the track and a whole bunch of extra stuff. The point is, we at The WIN Firm were able to create a prize package that appeals to the NASCAR fan because we walked with the fan.

Now, we have a prize package that includes a 50" Plasma Screen TV, Season Tickets to the most popular track in NASCAR and the convenience of owning a condo across the street from this amazing fan-favorite track. Oh yeah, we threw in a bunch of other goodies like a trip to Las Vegas and the chance to drive a car through the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Appealing? It is if you are a NASCAR fan.

You see, our prize selection was geared to our primary target audience. Why are prizes important? When selling a ticket for $200, you must create a value that well-surpasses the price of the ticket. Creating a price point is nothing new in terms of value creation, but it is very important and represents your brand. Therefore, we offer the NASCAR fan a chance of winning a Dream package: A package that provides this fan an experience like none other. Yes, you as a fan can win a prize greater than any prize offered for NASCAR. What are you waiting for? Sign up for the Dream Ticket and find out when you can have your chance to purchase a fan's dream: email chris@thewinfirm.com for details.

I hope you have been enlightened as to how we at The WIN Firm work on campaigns. We are an ideation and brand positioning firm because of our love of people. We are a team of people that hang out with you on a daily basis then explain and teach companies how to talk to you. We are more than web-based analytics. We are ideas in motion and you move a lot.

Blessings to All!

Chris Teague
V.P. The WIN Firm, Inc.
chris@thewinfirm.com
www.thewinfirm.com

Selling the Dream

2010-03-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone!

This is Chris Teague from The WIN Firm. Yes, I am alive and well and have missed updating you on the events taking place here at WIN. We have been very busy the past few weeks creating a dynamic fundraising campaign to benefit a local charity here in our Johnson City location, Friends of Olde Downtowne. Being located in downtown Johnson City, we at WIN decided to help our area grow through a creative, emotionally engaging fundraising campaign. Ready to read all about the campaign?

First, we partnered with two condo owners that own condos across from NASCAR's most popular track, The Bristol Motor Speedway. The owners asked us if we thought conducting a raffle would help them sell their condos. We liked the idea and immediately began conducting research to determine our approach for marketing the raffle, developing a price point for the ticket and understanding the emotional elements needed to sell the tickets along with a bunch of other data and analytical stuff that is too boring to share, so I will spare you.

Next, we proceeded to utilize our researched information to create the campaign now known as The Dream Ticket. We call it the Dream Ticket because if you are a NASCAR fan, it is your dream ticket. So, what's all the fuss? We used the lottery concept of having the chance to win something of greater value than the price you pay as a starting point for developing the raffle campaign. Our first question was: Why would anyone buy a raffle ticket for $200 to win a condo at The Bristol Motor Speedway? After several brainstorming and thinking sessions, we came to realize the needed element to sell our raffle tickets and benefit our Friends of Olde Downtowne.

Following some creative thinking, our team at WIN began building value for our raffle ticket. We knew that the value built needed to reach NASCAR fans and the general public. You see, our audience for this raffle is the NASCAR fan and the person that cares about downtown Johnson City. Therefore, we have priced a raffle ticket for $200 that is worth nearly $300,000. Now that's a nice return, plus, you also get a tax break for purchasing the ticket since it benefits a charity.

Finally, after all of our work to create value we now have the elements that make our Dream Ticket awesome! In order to create a wonderful ticket you need to have wonderful business relationships. The first obvious relationship we developed was with The Bristol Motor Speedway as they too are important to us at WIN. The winners; oh yeah, there are two winners for the Dream Ticket, will receive the following experience:

2011 Season Tickets to the Bristol Motor Speedway
A 50-inch plasma screen TV to put in a new condo
A condo across from the Bristol Motor Speedway
Free parking spaces for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway
Pit Passes to meet drivers at Bristol
The Richard Petty Driving School experience
Tickets to the first race at Vegas Motor Speedway
Flight and Hotel in Vegas for the race
The winners will be announced and at the Carnegie Hotel
The winners will also be recognized at the Bristol Motor Speedway and Vegas Motor Speedway races

Wow! Can you say we worked hard to add value to a $200 raffle ticket that benefits our community through support of Friends of Olde Downtowne? Yes, we are very EXCITED about the Dream Ticket! The best part for us at The WIN Firm, is this campaign is all about helping our community grow through the use of our creative talents.

I hope you enjoyed today's post and keep coming back to read about our progress as we continue to work through this campaign and many others!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. - The WIN Firm
chris@thewinfirm.com
www.thewinfirm.com
Skype: thewinfirm
Twitter: thewinfirm

WIN Firm's Dream Campaign

2010-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Good day everyone!

On behalf of The WIN Firm, I would like to thank each of you for following our blog! We have been absent for a few weeks due to client needs, but now have an update of our work to share. Are you ready for another post from me, Chris Teague? If not, take a moment to prepare yourself for an exciting adventure in the world of WIN marketing and as we say in simple terms: "Get READY!"

This blog post will be followed by a series of posts updating our campaign, The Dream Ticket. Demonstrating our charitable intentions and following our mission to help those around us, we at The WIN Firm have partnered with a local organization to help raise funds for them via a raffle. What is so special about this raffle? The special part is that the organization we have selected to help is NOT paying us a dime! That's right, we are not billing the organization at all. In fact, we are donating a bit of our own money to their efforts as well as the money we are helping them to raise through the Dream Campaign.

Once I have permission to list the charitable organization we are helping, I will list their name. However, each step of this campaign is going to revealed in our blog. Thus, today's post is our first update of The WIN Firm's Dream Ticket. Okay, ready for the breakdown?

We have created the concept of a Dream Ticket based on the lottery's proven model of selling a dream. We are reaching a certain audience for promotion as this ticket is loaded with value items that appeal to a certain audience. In fact, there are two key audiences for this campaign. Want to know what two audiences we are working to reach? Come BACK next week! Some of the ticket items include condo units, a trip to Vegas (fully paid for), season tickets to a chosen event along with a BIG TV. There will be more items as we progress, but for now, we have created enough value for our chosen audience to buy the Dream Ticket.

Thank you for reading today's post. Check back here next week around 3 P.M. EST for an update on The Dream Ticket brought to you by your community-driven marketing firm, The WIN Firm. We work so you WIN!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. The WIN Firm, Inc.
www.thewinfirm.com
info@thewinfirm.com

Where's the Content?

2010-01-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

Good day! Welcome to another post by me, Chris Teague. On behalf of everyone here at The WIN Firm, I would like to thank you for taking a few moments out of your day to read our blog. Keep up with our posts and send us any information you would like us to cover: We’ll be provide you with information!

Do you remember any catchy songs or jingles from old ads? “Give me a Break; give me a break…” Does that song ring a bell? If you have been living since the early eighties is should. The jingle is from Kit Kat. I was in a wonderful conversation with a friend today, and he stated that advertising today absolutely blows! I asked why, and he replied: “It’s an insult to my intelligence. Too much art; not enough content.” Wow! After thinking about his comment, I completely agree. However, I want to share an example of a content driven strategy to compliment your art.

First, write an argumentative essay with five paragraphs stating your reasons someone should buy or use the product or service you are currently marketing. Make sure your essay is filled with a thesis statement and stresses key points in every paragraph. Of course, you need a nice introduction to grab the reader’s attention, so make sure you introduce what you are offering in such a manner that the reader understands you and wants to learn more.

Second, read the essay out loud and listen to your key points. Are they backed up with facts and supporting examples? Once you have completed this task, then hand your essay to a colleague. Have him or her read the second and final paragraph only then provide you with a summary of your argument. Did your colleague present a solid case of understanding your argument? If so, then you are good to go! If not, you need to work on your writing skills, but for now, you can move forward.

Last, take your key points from each of your paragraphs and write them down. Make a list of all supporting information as well and write that down. Now, find your three strongest points and their supportive examples and circle them. Are you ready for the design portion? Use a simple, clean design to compliment your points. Each component of your design should clearly relate to your three key points. Once you have done this, you have created an intelligent advertisement that is based on what people want: CONTENT.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
The WIN Firm, Inc.

All WOUND Up!

2010-01-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! It has been a crazy end of the year and start of a new year! Welcome to this new year of posts by The WIN Firm. This is Chris Teague, and I am the V.P. of our wonderful marketing/advertising firm. Today's post is a brief explanation of what we have been able to do during this challenging economy: Create new strategies and have fun doing it!!

Monday, I was having lunch and someone asked me "What I did for a living?" I simply replied, "I have fun!" Don't misunderstand me. Not all work is fun, but overall, working with The WIN Firm is fun. I am unable to speak for other marketers today, but all of the worry wrapped up in today's economic climate has only made us happier than we were at WIN.

Why would I be happy when clients are cutting budgets and leaving us with less billable work than we have ever experienced? Simple: I LOVE the challenge of seeing whether we are good enough to compete. The author, John Eldridge, explains in various books how men always seek approval from their father and want to be tested. Though Mr. Eldridge is specifically writing to men, his point about proving worth relates to all of us! We all want to know that we are good at something and can overcome hurdles in our lives.

This year, we are unveiling some AWESOME strategies for increasing a company's brand, market presence and bottom line. Please stay tuned as we UNVEIL our "secret strategies" that we presently utilizing for our clients. Our clients love the work we are doing and YOU will too!

The WIN Firm's posting schedule will be on a regular basis. We will post updates once a week for everyone. Posts will occur every Thursday, so check back with us next Thursday at 3pm EST. Please take our strategies and ideas. Use them to help you market your company. We are here to share what we do: Have Fun!

Be blessed in all YOU do!
Chris Teague

Chris Teague
V.P. The WIN Firm
chris@thewinfirm.com

Dew Power: Can YOU Handle IT!

2009-12-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

DEWPower: Can YOU handle it? on 12seconds.tv

Check out our video and enjoy 12 seconds of difficult writing and production! The next step would be to also vote for us on the 12 second tv site so we can win the Dew account!!

Blessings,
The WIN Firm, Inc. and StarScape Media

Be QUIET!

2009-12-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's Chris Teague of the WIN Firm bringing you marketing information from our guerrilla channel known as a blog.

Did the title of this post catch your attention? If not, I will try harder next time. Okay, the point of the title is a mere reflection of marketing. Perhaps we as marketers are too LOUD, and say too much. What about BEING QUIET and listening to YOU instead of yelling at you!

I sat with a client yesterday afternoon and listened to the group tell me how great their new product was and how we were all going to have a WINNING time launching the product. I agreed! As the client continued sharing what ideas they had for reaching people, I realized something: "I'm listening and they are giving me great ideas!"

Instead of spending time consulting the client, providing the WIN Firm's expert advice on marketing and advertising, I kept my mouth closed and listened. WOW! I heard so many ideas come out of that meeting, it felt just like a WIN brainstorming session. And this was a client meeting where I was supposed to do the talking.

Let's say, I walked away knowing exactly where the client was coming from and how to produce the results the client truly desired. I learned the immediate marketing needs and then the most important, the long-term goals. All of this happened by just sitting and BEING QUIET.

Everyone, please BE QUIET. Listen to someone and you will discover what they really NEED. This simple act is what our team at The WIN Firm stresses as the greatest asset we provide to our clients. We not only listen to consumers; we listen to our clients!

Have a GREAT Day Being QUIET!

Blessings,
Chris Teague

Chris Teague
The WIN Firm, Inc.
www.thewinfirm.com
Winning Strategies for Today's Market

Meeting the NEED

2009-11-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

YOU are driven to surpass status-quo expectations. We too possess the drive to produce RESULTS that our clients NEED.

Welcome everyone! This is Chris Teague, and I am going to share a WINNING idea we at The WIN Firm use to generate RESULTS. Last week’s blog was an example of the impact we provide to clients, and as you can see, we truly strive to leave a positive footprint as we walk through this life. So, today’s post is another example of good ideas that will help you produce effective marketing communications.

Have you been in a situation where your current marketing efforts were working, but your boss was not seeing the same thing you do? This lack of recognition can often bring you down, hindering your creativity. Stand UP! Let me show you how to keep the good marketing going while pleasing your boss.

Step 1: Hire The WIN Firm. Okay, seriously. First, review your company’s overall growth plans for the year. Is your marketing playing a positive role in this growth? If so, then determine what exactly your boss needs. Is it more results? What are these results? Well, what are you waiting for? Go ask the boss what is needed! This step is important because you are not only marketing to external audiences; you also need to reach internal audiences: your boss.

Step 2: Remember that you are doing a good job and that your marketing is working. Be positive! Now that you know what your boss needs, it is time to produce some winning results (Call me now! :) Instead of putting more money into your current campaign, segment your campaign. Much like you do to reach various audiences, segmented your campaign will enable you to demonstrate the results your boss needs. Take the information your boss provided you and create a side campaign that compliments your current campaign. This segmented campaign should be directly targeted to an audience that can quickly show your boss desired outcomes.

Step 3: Track this campaign and measure it as best as possible. Create a separate landing page for the campaign. The landing page unique visitor count will be a good measure to show the boss results. Enhance your imagery in various advertisements and create new messages. These images and messages need to be distinctly different from what you are presently doing, yet ensure your brand is kept in tact. Once you begin receiving responses to this campaign, you can march right into the boss’s office and say: “RESULTS delivered!”

Be blessed in all you do,

Chris Teague
The WIN Firm, Inc.
chris@thewinfirm.com
www.thewinfirm.com

Creating an IMPACT

2009-11-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Good day! I apologize for not writing anything last week, but our clients at The WIN Firm come first. Are you ready?

The sun is shining brightly outside, the weather is definitely cool and The WIN Firm is full of IMPACT this fall! As you have discovered through reading previous posts, everyone at The WIN Firm enjoys what we do! So, today I am going to share one way we as a marketing firm help better the places we live: Northeast Tennessee and Chicago, IL.

Feeding America is a national Food Banking organization dedicated to combating hunger in our country located in Chicago. We at The WIN Firm are heavily involved with Feeding America's efforts through concept development, design and grant writing, especially on the local Northeast Tennessee level. As the grant writer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, I use every bit of my marketing expertise to engage the grant reviewing audience through carefully crafted proposals. Today, I am happy to reveal the efforts of this work!

As you can see, our work at The WIN Firm is all about creating an impact. Many marketing groups and agencies all have successful case studies, but we at The WIN Firm are proud to showcase how our work leaves a lasting IMPACT.

I realize that today's post is kind of an affirmation of what we can do at The WIN Firm, but I wanted to showcase our work for you to see a "Real-Time" Case Study. We are proud to help our neighbors and know that the marketing we do is helping.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P./C0-Founder
The WIN Firm, Inc.
www.thewinfirm.com
Email: chris@thewinfirm.com

Everyone Looks the Same! What Do I Do?

2009-10-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Have you been in an environment that caused you to feel cramped, closed-in and left you desperately grasping for air? For those of us that have experienced such an environment, it is often one we would rather forget about. Well, today's post is a personal testimony of how I grasped for air and demonstrates that being uniquely different can separate your brand. Therefore, I will reveal my personal brand story.

I recently interviewed for a Group Study Exchange sponsored by Rotary International District 7570. Thanks to my work at The WIN Firm, I am blessed to have opportunities of growing both professionally and personally, which afforded me the chance to interview for a business exchange program sponsored by Rotary. How did this interview bring out all the advice, strategy and creativity The WIN Firm provides our clients? Read on!

When I first arrived in Roanoke, Va. to interview, I was introduced to my fellow morning candidates. Upon first glance, I realized that I was dressed exactly like each of the male candidates: Black Suit, Tie and Black Shoes. Sound familiar for many brands out there today? "Wow!" I thought. I had a brand identity crisis first thing, and knew that I needed to differentiate myself from the other brands. After all, I help clients communicate their brand everyday at The WIN Firm.

I introduced myself to each of the candidates and the Rotarian that was responsible for facilitating conversations among our group. By the way, there were a total of 14 candidates to fill 8 slots. As soon as I set down, I began conducting brand research. I engaged my fellow candidates in conversation, asking each of them unique questions that revealed their brand a.k.a. who they were. It almost felt like I was doing WIN Firm work on my day off!

Using the information I received from our conversations, I began to deduce each brand in the room and focus on key attributes each brand had that were similar to my brand: ME. As we went around the room answering questions, I noticed emerging brand characteristics that fit the Rotarian mold. Each candidate was strong, but I knew there were features my brand (I) had that also fit the Rotarian mold unlike any features I discovered in conversations. Therefore, I gathered all of this information and prepared my brand position for the BIG step: The INTERVIEW!

I have interviewed with big corporations on behalf of The WIN Firm, but this interview was so much more intimidating than any I have experienced!

My time arrived, and now it was time for me to position my brand. I walked into the interview room facing 25 plus business professionals all wandering what I had to offer them that was any better than anyone else. These were Rotarians that nominated other candidates and wanted their nominees to win.

What did I do?

I positioned my brand as a: Team Player with Integrity and Leadership qualities. How did I communicate this brand?

As soon as I sat down, I made sure to stay on the edge of my seat and leave my body open. Yes, body language is important my friends. I immediately glanced around the room reading everyone's name card and looked at as many facial expressions as possible prior to my first question. As soon as I was asked a question, I repeated the questioner's name and the question prior to my response. I answered every question with the intent of positioning my brand of being a Team Player, having Integrity and possessing Leadership qualities.

You see, I made sure that the three characteristics I possessed were communicated in every single question I answered. I penetrated the market, in this case, the room, with my brand qualities. I remained strict and focused on ensuring my brand was present during the most difficult 15 minutes of my life.

Perhaps my strongest perceived value was GREATLY stressed near the interview's end. My brand attribute of Leadership clearly was vital to my being accepted into the GSE program. Therefore, I made sure to demonstrate this part of my brand through my questions. I took charge of the interviewers by asking them in-depth questions regarding their desired outcomes for this GSE program and what their expectations were of us, the candidates/brands, upon our return. What benefit could our brands bring to Rotary during this exchange?

Understanding that there were goals on the other side of the table, I was able to position my brand effectively. My brand had similar qualities as the other brands and it looked exactly the same. However, I positioned my brand as the brand Rotary was seeking to integrate into their organization, which has now afforded me the opportunity to participate in a Group Study Exchange in May 2010.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
WIN Firm
chris@thewinfirm.com
www.thewinfirm.com

Smacked in the FACE!

2009-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone! I hope this blog finds each of you in good spirits, and if you are feeling down, please know I am wishing you well right now. Today is another account of our marketing tactics as told in real time. The title, Smacked in the FACE, is a branding lesson for those of you caught in an advertising budget that is not producing the results you expected. Ready!

Many companies come up with a unique way to attract more customers and get so excited about their new marketing strategy that they forget about their brand. When working with a client in the automotive industry, we interviewed the client for two weeks off and on. We dug deep, seeking to find who the client was underneath the masks of cars, gimmicks and poorly produced ads. What we found was a client dedicated to working hard and truly cared about the community. However, the problem for this client was that the company had a poor reputation of working hard at "tricking" you into coming in and discovering there were no "real deals."

When we revealed the fact that our client was perceived as a basic "cheater", we really stepped on some toes. However, we were not the ones stepping; it was the potential customers. Talk about a smack in the face! Our client was furious!! After careful talking and even mediating, we were able to resume our strategy of changing this perception. We recommended to our client that a branding initiative was needed. It was time to revisit who the client was and let the public know.

We created a campaign that focused solely on creating a positive experience for customers. Instead of disproportionate guerrillas flying high overhead, we took a straight-forward approach and directly integrated the client's brand with the customer. How did we achieve this feat?

Any automotive client will tell you that selling a car comes from test drives, and that is the reason for so many gimmicks. Knowing a simple sales to drive conversion provided by our client, we created a campaign to sell cars while promoting the client's brand versus using gimmicks. The campaign worked as follows:

1. We researched the local market and discovered a hidden gem: a wavepool in a small town about 30 minutes from the client's location. This was also a town with no automotive dealers. Untapped market...yeah! We visited with the town manager and arranged a community pool party to be sponsored by our client.

2. We partnered with a local t-shirt vendor in the town and had the vendor create t-shirts for the event. We wanted to be as authentic as possible, so we made sure to keep everything local. Why? Branding is about being authentic!

3. We planned the event to compliment an already planned civil war exhibition taking place in the town. We had street teams of people handing out fliers for the pool party at the event, creating an "up-sale" for the exhibition, and ultimately providing something unexpected for tourists. This was a great move and made the town look nice!

4. We arranged for four specific vehicles to be on-site the day of the pool party. We opened up the cars for everyone to look in, and even offered test drives with one of our team members. We conducted the test drives to obtain research and to keep the campaign authentic. No salesmen ALLOWED!

5. As the party began, kids came pouring out from the neighborhoods, families that attended the exhibition brought their fliers, pizza was served and parents had fun test driving the vehicles while their children enjoyed a free night of fun. As people drove by, their curiosity won and they looked at the vehicles that each were clearly branded with our client's information all over the vehicles.

The night ended with the best possible feedback I could think of:

We would like to thank the client for showing interest in our town and letting these kids swim. What is the client's address so I can thank the client?

Wow! Talk about integrating a brand into an event and being authentic.

Blessings,
Chris

Chris Teague
V.P. WIN Firm
chris@thewinfirm.com

Are YOU Awake?

2009-10-09T05:47:00.001-07:00

"If I had a lighter in hand, and some oily rags...is that what it'd take to wake you from your sleep?" - Anti-Flag

Did I capture your attention for a moment? Good day to all following us at The WIN Firm. As a marketing firm that creates ideas for YOU, we strive to always engage our client's audience. Don't we all? Today's post is a little bit of history about where we come up with the messages that captivate and leave a lasting impact on audiences we are paid to reach, and the ones we reach just for fun.

It is 1980, Operation Ivy has released another record on the West Coast, the scene of PUNK is emerging to take hold of music for a brief moment. Being credited with the look that is PUNK, Malcolm McLaren displays his expertise of marketing by creating a band based on the brand of PUNK. That band? The notorious Sex Pistols. What is the brand of PUNK? Attitude. Director, Don Letts, does a superb job telling the story of PUNK in his film, Punk:Attitude. From this scene came the beginning of a marketing firm that had no idea it was going to be a marketing firm. Yes, The WIN Firm has deep roots in the PUNK scene.

Move ahead in time to 2007. A young, outspoken marketer figures that playing in his current band is not reaching as many people as he would like. He decides to show Marketed America he can play with the big boys and begins seeking PUNK minded marketers to help him reshape the scene we call: "Marketing." Blessed with spiritual guidance and faith in Christ (very PUNK for the PUNK Scene), this young man discovers there are people just like him with the same ideas: Marketing has gone numb because it is being done by boring individuals that spend too much time on the computer and not enough time living amongst the people.

That young man? Yes, it is me. However, looking at me, you would not see me as the stereotypical PUNK Rocker at all. Having played in numerous PUNK bands in college and even through grad school, I always stressed the importance of making my voice heard over wearing labeled clothing. So, how does this background help The WIN Firm? Well, it helps us out a lot! Our CMO is branded and trademarked as the Queen of Color. How did she get that title? She knows color better than anyone else out there. Just ask our clients. In fact, she shows clients that color is attitude, emotion and everything we are as people. Therefore, our CMO helps clients find the essence of PUNK in their color choices: Attitude.

Our Chief Designer makes sure we stick to a balanced attack when crafting messages for our clients. The attack is to get your attention, then make you remember us. How is this achieved? Just like PUNK, we make sure you look at us. However, we refrain from merely offering you a pretty picture, cute commercial or anything those over-paid marketers do for you. We keep things simple, homemade if possible and follow our pictures with messages that reach you on the surface and below. We engage you emotionally. We bring you into a mood by understanding your Attitude, which enables our clients to fully integrate their brand into your thought processes.

Today, The WIN Firm is two years old, but has been blessed to work on projects for companies like Nike, American Express, FreshAire Paints and NASCAR. The best part, is our experience with these projects could only be accomplished by the individuals that make up The WIN Firm. Our Attitude helps us get fun projects, and helps our clients reach you more than their competitors. Therefore, we are a firm of Attitude. We are PUNK and enjoy every bit of our jobs.

Blessings,
Chris Teague

Chris Teague
V.P.
WIN Firm

Branding in Northeast Tennessee

2009-10-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone! We at The WIN Firm have been busy the past three weeks traveling from meeting to meeting, and have so much to tell. Today's post is a brief overview of something we have been working on for quite some time. Being a marketing firm that creates concepts for clients, we decided it was time for us to swallow that promotional/branding pill. Therefore, we are going to let you know a little bit about our intentions of branding The WIN Firm in Northeast Tennessee.

Have you ever hopped online and began searching for marketing companies to help you with an upcoming campaign? How many local firms appeared in your search? Before you even start complaining about SEO and PPC campaigns, we are not even going that route, so please hang on. My point is, that many marketing firms refrain from branding themselves for one reason or another and you often are left wandering where the talent is in your town. We are one of those companies that has an incredible list of BIG clients to be unknown in our own town due to our lack of effective branding efforts. My friends, it's time for us to brand.

Today, I made it a point to tweet about The WIN Firm, drive people to www.thewinfirm.com, invite people to come learn about what we do and followed those efforts up on LinkedIn. Therefore, it is fitting that I tell you a little bit about The WIN Firm on today's post. Don't worry, you will still receive updates of our projects and "Hidden Secrets" to marketing. Yeah right, marketing is no secret, so don't let any of those so-called creative agencies tell you their tactics are kept hush, hush. So, what are we doing to brand The WIN Firm?

Step 1: Develop a comprehensive marketing plan for this fourth quarter. The plan is based on various ways to communicate our brand: A firm that creates ideas for YOU. Within this plan, we must analyze all local competition and see what efforts other agencies are making in the local market. After evaluation of the market, refrain from being competitive by creating a unique value proposition for our clients that no other group offers. In fact, we plan on collaborating with several agencies in Northeast Tennessee.

Step 2: Create various collateral that represents are brand: A firm that creates ideas for YOU. We have been redesigning our entire look at The WIN Firm and now have a cohesive look to all collateral we will be using to reach businesses and invite them to discover our passion for enhancing marketing initiatives. Want to see our portfolio? No problem, we will have it with us wherever we go.

Step 3: Develop relationships with local non-profits and schools. This step is vital to our growth as a firm. We seek to always utilize our God-given talents for marketing to help others, and being directly involved in our community is a must. We will use the power of press to communicate our brand: A firm that creates ideas for YOU. Everyone in Northeast Tennessee will discover that we are a marketing firm dedicated to leaving fruitful footprints, and part of our efforts will be to help others through resources, time and support.

Thank you for reading today's post. Stay tuned for Friday's post...It will be NICE!

Who is The WIN Firm? The WIN Firm is a marketing firm that creates ideas for YOU. Come get to know us. Email me: chris@thewinfirm.com, if you like and I will be glad to share our portfolio with you. Come to our site: www.thewinfirm.com, and see how it evolves over the next few weeks as we post new case studies.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P.
WIN Firm

Help Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee

2009-09-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

You can go to www.hungeractioncenter.org to help Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee win a truck load of food from Kraft foods. Please take some time to help feed the hungry. You are able to make a difference in just five minutes.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. WIN Firm

Service is KEY to Customer Service

2009-09-15T09:06:00.001-07:00

Good day everyone! Welcome to my post for the WIN Firm regarding marketing and our actual examples of strategies/tactics we use. I realize most of you following this blog have probably been inundated with media regarding Health Care Reform, and recently, Kanye West. Wow! We have seen a lot lately, and there still is plenty to come. I want to take time out for a moment and shed light on an important subject today, customer service.

Our firm is working on a promotion to help a local Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, win a tractor trailer truck load of food from Kraft. Being a cause-oriented marketing firm, we are always excited to help the less fortunate, and love partnering with organizations that do their part, whether they be non-profit or for-profit. Where am I going with this story? I'll explain.

Today, a colleague of mine went to Verizon Wireless in Johnson City, TN to see about obtaining a few wireless air cards that Second Harvest would use for an upcoming event. Now, I realize that most event marketing decisions come from corporate, but small event decisions are often made on the local level, especially if they do not involve money. We first thought of Verizon because they are the Food Bank's cell phone company. However, despite Verizon's crafty commercials depicting a wonderful cell service, their customer service is absolutely terrible, at least locally anyways. My colleague reported back to me that in our attempt to use air cards from the local Verizon store in Johnson City, the store manager would not even speak to him; rather, had an employee tell him "corporate handles events." My colleague did not even have a chance to explain what exactly we were doing, but was hurried out the door. Wow! That is EXCELLENT service, right!

What does this experience tell me? It tells me that corporate structure must have problems as well for Verizon if the local manager had zero skills in customer service. Why? As person who oversees projects with colleagues working on them, I take full responsibility of how each project is handled because it is a direct reflection of how I lead. Yes, leadership is key, and customer service starts from the top and works its way down. I wander how much emphasis is placed on training customer service for Verizon Wireless.

How does this lack of service relate to marketing? It is the foundation of marketing. Marketing is about managing a perception by communicating effectively with people. When your customer service is awful, your company is perceived as being awful. In this case, our company will most likely not ever use Verizon for our business needs thanks to one lousy manager in our local store. What can be learned from all of this? Think about how you treat people, because your advertising budget will not change someone's perception of you following a bad experience.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. WIN Firm

Feed the Hungry

2009-09-14T19:44:00.001-07:00

Working to Help the Hungry

2009-09-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Good day everybody! Welcome to another post from the WIN Firm brought to you by me, Chris Teague. Today's post is especially important for us at the WIN Firm! We are taking time out to recognize the importance of helping those that are less fortunate than us. I want to tell you a story about one of our clients, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee and partner, Feeding America. This story is not about our firm today; rather, it is about our client doing an AMAZING job helping hungry residents in our Northeast Tennessee community and the country as well. We at the WIN Firm would like to introduce you to Roger's Story.

Roger, a child that lives in Bristol, TN, participates in Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee's Food for Kids program through the Bristol City Schools. Roger’s mother was laid-off from her job and faced some challenging situations that included the difficult choice many parents in our region and country must make, whether to pay for utilities or food. Roger’s mother chose to provide food for her son and pay for the utilities to the best of her abilities, but soon found herself behind in paying the bills. As money decreased, Roger’s mother was forced to leave the apartment she lived in and move into a tent. Roger’s only shelter at night came from a nylon piece of fabric and the only food he ate was for lunch at school. Roger’s situation was discovered by his school and action was taken to enroll him into Food for Kids. Thanks to Second Harvest and Feeding America, Roger was able to immediately receive food from Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee to take home, so that his mother would not have to make the choice between feeding Roger and using her limited income to find housing for her family. Roger’s story is unique, but many children in our region and America suffer from malnutrition because of their impoverished living conditions.

Please take a moment to support the hungry. We at the WIN Firm make sure our work goes to raise awareness for issues that touch our lives. You too can help be the voice for our country's hungry, impoverished residents. We at the WIN Firm invite you to go to www.hungeractioncenter.org, sign up to be a voice for hunger support, and help feed the less fortunate people around you. As a perk, there is a contest that helps your local food bank. When you take action on hungeractioncenter.org, minutes are logged for your work and counted. The food banks that accumulate the most minutes by the end of September win a free tractor trailer load of food for their community. Please help us!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P.
WIN Firm
"We create ideas that WIN."

The Marketing Season

2009-08-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day we are having here in Northeast Tennessee! I hope each of you are enjoying this day as well. Hello! It's me, Chris Teague, bringing you more exciting concepts and strategies we at the WIN Firm have or are using for our clients.

I want you to stop for a moment and think about this summer. Was this the best summer ever? Did the summer fly by? What do you distinctly remember about this summer versus other summers? Okay, now that you have thought for a moment, imagine using the thoughts and those feelings associated with them for a marketing message. Today's lesson is about using our longing for an eternal summer to create a winning message.

Step 1: Think of all the songs we hear about summer. What are the messages we are hearing? Use these same messages to help you communicate with your audience. What? I am referring to the feeling that summer is a bitter-sweet escape we all experience in our lives. We associate this feeling with being alive, if only for a short period of time. Therefore, craft a message that makes your customers feel alive.

Step 2: Position your product, company or what you need us to buy as being the solution to our longing for being alive. Be our summer. How can you reach me on this level? Think about what you offer and you will find the answer to this question. However, you must be authentic and truly have something of substance for me.

Step 3: Use the very images of summer you pictured in your mind earlier or that you picture when you hear songs like, "Boys of Summer," by Bryan Adams. Use these pictures to craft your visual tools that compliment your message. Once you have mastered these three easy steps, you will be able to bring customers to you.

We have used each of the steps listed above for various clients with awesome outcomes. The key is to implement this strategy for a short period of time so that you can accurately measure the impact of the campaign. We normally run this campaign for no more than two months.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Who is Following You?

2009-08-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone! This is Chris Teague welcoming you to another marketing post from my work with the WIN Firm. I would like to apologize for not having this post up yesterday: there were a few glitches on blogger that prevented us from posting. Are you ready for a simple marketing lesson many of us tend to overlook?

Look over your shoulder...check your rear-view mirror...turn around....are you being followed? It is kind of creepy to think you are being followed at times, but as a company, you want to be followed. In fact, we as people desire to follow. Yes, you may lead, but you really follow. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we are just made to follow and that is perfectly okay. So, do you know who is following you? Really? I bet there are people you are missing. Keep reading; I will explain.

Customer retention is so important to a company's growth. Any executive, store owner or manager will tell you that keeping customers is less expensive than finding new ones. While this may be true, many organizations are unaware of who their customers are. What do I mean? I am talking about the customers that have not purchased anything from you, but like you and will buy from you. What? You mean I have a large customer base following me? How do I reach them? You just need to engage this customer base a little and provide them a purchasing avenue, but you must know who they are first. Want to figure out who is following you and increase your beloved customer base? Come on down to see how we at the WIN Firm help clients "track" those following you.

Step 1: You must be open to knowing that your industry is constantly changing, people are changing and your customers no longer look exactly alike. Well, they don't on the outside. Once you are open to UNDERSTANDING your customer today, you will be prepared for the next step.

Step 2: Let's explore alumni giving a little bit. WIN works with colleges and non-profits that depend on the public's support of their efforts to remain sustainable, financially speaking. There is one question that we always hear from our clients: "Who out there will give?" Great question! To discover the answer, we have found that anybody will give and will, but he/she simply hasn't found a reason to just yet. So, figure out this reason and engage your givers. Wait! I thought we were talking about tracking our followers. We are! Keep reading.

Step 3: Now that you know people need a reason to do something, you can effectively discover your followers. How? Analyze your current customers and their buying, or in this case, giving behaviors. There are those that buy/give a lot, and there are those that do not buy/give a lot. Common knowledge, right? Right! So, use this knowledge to figure out who is following you. That's right! You can know who is following based on the characteristics and mannerisms of your "known" customers. Stay with me.

Step 4: Okay, you know that some people simply have plenty of money to spend/give, may really like you and even have found satisfaction in your product. There are others that want to share the same thing as these people, but you haven't discovered them yet. We at WIN are innovative, so take this next step/tactic/strategy openly. Check it out!

Step 5: People are everywhere. How do you find those following you? Engage them. Bring them out of the jungle and unmask their camouflage. We understand that people give due to various reasons, especially depending on where they are in life. We created a concept that reached and brought the following groups together: current students, those freshly out of school, those at the beginning of a career, those starting a family and those "established." These are all customers following a college, but the college does not really know who they are. Why not find them?

Step 6: We approached a school and offered them the concept of being "Social." No, I am not talking about social media just yet. I am referring to the power of socializing and networking. We created various socials within the college's community that connected these groups and allowed them to chat, meet one another and network. What brought them together? Their common connection: COLLEGE. Using the theme of "Helping," we were able to create a reason for these unknown customers to be engaged. The college discovered its "unknown" customer and giving increased!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

You DON'T Need It!

2009-08-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Good morning! This is Chris Teague from the WIN Firm welcoming you to another post by our group to help you understand what goes on inside of a marketing firm's operations. Basically, you are seeing into our brains without having to use any high-tech devices. Let's get going with today's post!

Listening to the radio the other day, I heard a typical advertisement for a department store. The message I heard was: "We have what you need, so come see us while supplies last!" After hearing this ad, I immediately thought: "Really!" You mean this store knows what I need. I am very impressed, because I haven't determined everything I need just yet. Thank goodness this store is here, or I would really be lost. Like my sarcasm? Sorry, but we at the WIN Firm would not ever tell someone what they need in any sort of advertisement because we don't know what YOU need. If anything, we have a better understanding of what you don't need than what you do need. What we do know is how to communicate with you though, and make an authentic connection. I bet that connection is why our campaigns produce measurable, impacting results for our clients.

Would you like to connect with your audience only having 5 seconds to really do so even though you have crafted a 30 second script? Follow these steps we used for a client in health care. The steps below are simple, but effective and really help us get our message to listeners in 5 seconds or less so that we can reach their conscious while planting a seed in their subconscious. Brainwashing? No, we don't do that. The WIN Firm just understands that our brain needs to hear our message and that the message needs to stick.

Step 1: We developed a script that could be read in several sections and the message still remained the same. Knowing that most people retain what they hear at first based on an initial five seconds (our scientific guess), we make sure that all scripts have the message you want your audience to hear. What did we write?

Step 2: The basic script was written with a call to action to seek more information. Being as ambiguous as possible, yet perking your curiosity to discover more than we provided you, helped our client connect with you on an authentic level. How? See step 3.

Step 3: Health care is one of those fields that scares the average patient. We are already inundated with messages telling us what is and what isn't healthy from the media, so WIN used this information to reach you. Our script implanted the importance of choice, and that choice comes from being informed. What happened?

Step 4: We were able to do exactly what our client wanted, have patients call them for more information. By providing you with power of information, but leaving out the information you still sought, we made you curious. Top that curiosity off with the choice of learning more, we informed you where to discover more about the client. How was this authentic?

Step 5: We simply took out assuming we had the answers for you, and let you discover them for yourself. Empowering you with a little information and providing you with a place to seek more, we created an authentic opportunity for our client to build a relationship with you. This relationship is important because it helps alleviate your fears and allows you to connect with our client. Our client received more calls in one month than they did over the course of half of a year. It works!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

The Distance Between You and Me

2009-07-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone! Welcome to another WIN Firm post by me, Chris Teague. Prior to posting today, I had the privilege of listening to one of my favorite bands, Against Me! Yes, I like punk rock very much and am influenced by its underground culture, especially the bands trying their best to make us think a little bit. So, today's post is all about closing the distance between consumers and you, or better, the distance between you and me.

"Well there's a lot of things that should be said, so we're hammering six-strings..." -Against Me!

Reflecting upon the above line a moment, I want to express how important it is to connect with your audience. Yes, we all learn about reaching "our" audience in marketing 101, but learning and doing are completely different, aren't they! Think of how many times you spent late evenings, losing sleep trying to create that dynamite campaign to boost your profits. What if you had simply looked beyond profit margins and went out looking for your audience instead? If you're not following me, you will soon will, so keep reading.

We have a client in the higher education sector that is absolutely one of the best small schools in the country. In fact, this college ranks among the nation's top 100 schools as voted on by students versus the "paid for" voting that exists. What does this mean? It means that our client is great at customer service as clearly demonstrated by student voting. So, why am I talking about connecting to an audience when it appears our client connects? Keep reading...

First of all, our client does connect with its current student population. However, the need to connect to future generations of students is very important for obvious reasons. Therefore, I want you to see how you can connect to your audience by the way we help clients connect. Imagine being able to close the distance between you and me!

Step 1: After reviewing all sorts of marketing collateral from colleges and universities across the country, my team and me at the WIN Firm discovered that the messages to attract future students pretty much said the same thing: "Come be you at our school, because we know you." Really! How is it that all of these colleges know you? I'm not quite sure, especially since many students we met with said they never saw a representative from these schools at their high school dance, pool, sporting events, coffee shops or anywhere else these fine individuals spent their time. So, there is an obvious disconnection with an audience. On a side note...what is the deal with the "mountain top theme"? Okay, back to helping you. Take a look at our approach to connecting to future college students.

Step 2: Following up on research many schools rely on for decision making, we knew there was a huge disconnection between schools and students. No offense to our fine colleges and universities and their marketing departments, but come on, do you really think that a student taking the ACT or SAT is going to give you accurate answers to why he or she chose the college they are planning on attending. Realizing that schools don't know their students, a team of us at the WIN Firm decided to go out amongst the young populace and "get to know them." Our findings? Check out the next step.

Step 3: Yes! We have done our marketing research in step one and we have knocked out our secondary market research in step two. Now it is time to follow the Apostle Paul's approach to ministry, and "walk with the people" to gather our primary research to help us with our concept development. Did you know that future college students are not just in middle school and high school? This is important to know if you are trying to actually connect to future students. We at the WIN Firm have collected a lot of information on what various generations of future students do that makes them unique and allows us to know which future students fit into various colleges. Would you like to know one of our discoveries?

Step 4: We learned that future students, no matter the generation, have one common theme they share about going to school. Today, these students want to be significant. Is it that easy? Yes, it is. However, the message to connect with these students isn't as easy as you are probably thinking right now. You can't simply say: "Be significant at the COOLEST COLLEGE EVER!" Why? Everyone else is doing it and they are attracting new students. We need to keep up with them, right? Wrong! Being status-quo is not significant. If you want someone to reach students that desire to be SIGNIFICANT, then understand them, and connect. Read step five.

Step 5: Think for a moment. What makes you significant? How do you evaluate and determine significance? If you can't answer this for yourself, there is no way you are going to connect to an audience desiring to be significant. What is your winning solution? We at the WIN Firm craft many messages to reach various audiences, so here is our approach to being significant. I, Chris Teague, am significant because: I am a child of God (my own belief, and I respect differences); am a devout husband and father; still play soccer competitively despite my age; run almost everyday; have a passion for music and attend live concerts on a regular basis; helped start a marketing firm; and have helped shape the WIN Firm to being cause-oriented to promote human compassion. Does your college or university have a curriculum for me? I bet you do, so come get to know me a little bit and show me how I can do all of these things that make me significant.

Have a blessed day everyone. See you next Wednesday!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Your Stop for SUCCESS!

2009-07-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is Chris Teague, V.P. of the WIN Firm. Good day to all of you following the WIN Firm here on our blog! Whether you are a public or private follower, we are happy to help you see how our marketing firm works, giving you an inside look into our operations and the understanding of why we are a great asset for our clients.

From day one, we decided to post a few projects we are working on, and past ones that teach you how to achieve the same marketing success ALL of our clients have achieved. Today's post will be brief, but is designed to help you be more than just a creative individual, but be a process-oriented individual who can create the campaign you want, producing desired results. Here we go!

Imagine working for a firm or agency that has a mission and vision of using its skills and talents of communication to promote generosity and progress. Then imagine that a pre-requisite for being hired was that you were active in helping others in your community. Think of the work environment! It must be great! This environment is not utopia; rather, it is the environment we all work in at the WIN Firm. I want you to know where we come from because it is the core of our winning concepts and our clients success.

According to the Tennessee State Report Card, 47 percent of children in our region of Northeast Tennessee participate in the federal free/reduced meal program. Two out of the eight counties in our region rank among the nation's highest counties for childhood poverty. Wow! What can we do about these shocking statistics? You are about to learn what WIN is working on to help meet the needs of our community in a 3 step process.

Step 1- Identify those who presently support the effort to end childhood hunger and create a message of "Thanks." Working with our local food bank, we help communicate how wonderful those who support the food bank are in all we do. Why? See step 2.

Step 2- A common fact in business is that customer service is a key ingredient to repeat business. We firmly believe in this model and made sure that the food bank's first part of marketing was to acknowledge those who give on a personal level, keeping in touch regularly.

Step 3- Thank the donor for giving what they have never given before. We do this for the food bank's thank you letters and the return in money is incredible! Simply thanking someone for increasing their giving efforts even if they haven't, subconsciously creates a call to action for more giving. It works! We helped raise over $32,000 in thank you letters in one month!

Have a great day everyone! We will see you shortly.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Shred YOUR Label!

2009-07-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day it is for us at the WIN Firm! We are on the brink of wrapping up a SUPER project that is really going to shape the way people think. Hello, everyone: It's Chris Teague, V.P. of the WIN Firm, bringing you another post in a series of posts designed to help YOU grow through marketing. Enjoy...and keep up with us because we are not living in the past...we embrace today and try to shape tomorrow.

Do you know right from wrong? Does knowing right from wrong stop you from doing wrong? I ask you these questions because so many companies capitalize on our confused state of mind to do what's right. Take this whole "green" trend companies are latching on to these days: isn't it getting old? Seriously, saying something is "green" is about as overused and misused as the whole Nike tagline, "Just Do It!" In fact, sales studies from Forrester research show that using "green" doesn't appeal to the average consumer. Why? Maybe, the answer is because the average consumer can't afford the more expensive "green" product. More importantly, to all of you wanting to reach consumers, doing what's right should not be expensive...should it?

Why can I go to the store and find the same "green" product at a cheaper price than your organic, eco-friendly product with the exception that the label doesn't say it is eco-friendly? In an environment fueled by TV warnings of economic meltdown, we are all more aware of our spending as consumers today. Therefore, we are actually doing the "right" thing and shopping carefully, abstaining from making unnecessary, expensive purchases. Anyways, most consumers wander if buying a "green" product is even the "right" thing to do for us.

Think about it from this perspective as well, as a marketer I see the word "green" being too close to "greed." Knowing that this play on words possibly triggers my subconscious to thinking green is bad, I can see why I am often opposed to buying products that are labeled "green," all the while thinking I am doing the "right" thing. Am I though? Would you like to see how we market a product that is eco-friendly, pocket price friendly and does more than promoting good on a label? Then, follow these steps and discover how to effectively reach us all, communicating the "right" thing to do:

Step 1: We took a product and completely ripped its label to shreds, tore the packaging up and stomped on it right in front of our client. What happened? The client was ticked off! However, knowing what kind of work we do, the client quickly realized there was a lesson to be learned. That lesson? Quit copying everyone else and be YOU. Yes, we know how to communicate a brand at WIN, which is why this process worked and works.

Step 2: After explaining the strategy of looking across consumer buying boundaries (we can explain this strategy if you would like in another post), we were able to create a more dynamic marketing model for the client's product that outsold all of its competitors almost 4-1. How can you do the same thing? Pay attention to the next step.

Step 3: While I just gave you the end result in step 2, I wanted you to see how important this step I am explaining now is for success. If you want people to do the "right" thing, then you need to explain to them the importance of doing the "right" thing. Therefore, we created a simple Thank YOU program for everyone who purchased the product. We wrote a little personalized letter that thanked them for buying a product that was made by hands helping to feed others and why this help was needed. Wow! Nobody even knew that they were helping at the point of purchase. The lesson we want you to learn here is that you can reach your consumers in a more personal way if you aren't too lazy.

Step 4: Lastly, we included in the Thank YOU program a way for consumers to keep making "right" choices by listing other products that went to help similar causes. Yes, we highlighted our competitor's efforts of caring so that the consumer really could make a conscious choice in continued "green" support if they so desired. You have already seen the results listed in step 2, so we know what we're doing. Anyways, isn't being "green" about helping? Hmmm...

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Following Trends is Lame: Setting Trends ...

2009-07-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to another post by me, Chris Teague, V.P. of Marketing for the WIN Firm. I am following up on the previous post, "People are Buying." Today's post will open your mind to the inner-workings of my mind, which is the engine behind many of our campaigns and concepts developed here at the WIN Firm. Have you ever felt that you had the perfect idea, and then let it slip your mind? Then, months down the road, there is a news article about some person who has just perfected your idea and is doing quite well! What if you could follow a marketing blog and actually be able to put that idea to use when you have it? Our purpose for this blog is to help you in every way become the business professional or company you want to be! We will show you exactly how we create a lasting brand through cause marketing for multi-national and small mom and pop businesses. Let's get started with today's post!

Did you like the title for today's post? If not, no big deal, but I know it caught your eye and that's really all I wanted! You will discover reading all about our work at the WIN Firm, that getting your attention is what we do, but keeping your attention is how we have earned the respect of many companies throughout the world. Do you own an iPhone? Do you have the newest app? Do you "tweet" daily? Are you on FaceBook? All the questions I just asked you are part of today's trend, which is really losing touch with people. Yes, I think that Apple has done an excellent marketing job by completely making consumers dependent upon technology through their apps, but they haven't really embraced any new developing trends. We at the WIN Firm like to dig a little deeper than the surface of trends and go underground to find the next emerging trends people will gravitate to in the future. Trust me, there is no app for this work and our clients trust us completely to find these underground trends, putting them in front. As you continue to read this post, you will discover how to find an emerging trend as well, so keep up with me ok!

First, to find a new trend you must get out of your comfort zone of the current trend and see what people are doing out there in the world. The best marketers in the world are the ones that don't sit in an office everyday on the computer or attend meetings inside all day. Nope, the best marketers watch your every move and do their best to understand why you walk the way you do and talk the way you do. We follow this type of research to identify trends at WIN and you will see how effective it is for our clients. You will learn in this post the first step to being in front of the bus instead of reading the billboard on the side of the bus that has your idea as it leaves you behind.

Imagine being at the place full of people different than you that makes you feel the most uncomfortable. What are you thinking right now? I gave it a thought, and feel like everyone is seeing right through me and wants me to leave. Now, think about the people that are in this uncomfortable place. How can you relate to them so that you would be more comfortable? Think about it for a moment. You know exactly why this place makes you feel uncomfortable, so make it work for you. Imagine taking the next step and actually going to this place knowing exactly what you needed to do to be comfortable and showing up! If you can do this exercise, then you will be able to take the first step to setting a trend. If you can identify with an audience that makes you feel uncomfortable by understanding how to relate to them so you fit in, you will understand how companies keep their brands so strong and why they value marketing groups', like the WIN Firm, concepts. Concepts that position your business above the trends are ones we focus on at WIN, and we want you to learn how to be just as creative as we are! I look forward to hearing your stories of identifying new trends by leaving what's comfortable behind and embracing a new scene.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

What's In a Name Part II

2009-07-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! To pick up on last entry, I would like to talk further about General Motors and their name change in the realm of numbers and energy.

Numerology refers to the numbers 1 through 9 and offers a basic characteristic or keyword for each number. Every number over 9 ultimately reduces to a single digit. With knowledge of the meaning of each number, one can understand the order of numbers in our lives. Believe it or not, your company name, your corporate brand holds energy and communicates this energy based on the spelling of the name. I also take in consideration the color and the design of the brand in the intuitive analysis and of course, the application of those elements.

In looking at General Motors and discerning whether or not they would benefit from a name change, it is interesting to note what “General Motors” “GM” and “General Motors Corporation” communicate by way of numerology.

“General Motors” and “General Motors Corporation” both have the same “destiny” or what I refer to as a “directional” number, which suggests the overall consciousness of the company. Both spellings have a directional number of a “9” which represents endings. But also, 9 is a global/humanitarian number. In fact, a 9 vibrates to the role of unconditional love, and the color green.

Now, keep in mind, corporations can experience crises, just like people experience crises when they do not live up to their vibrational number(s). So perhaps rather than changing their name, living up to their numbers may be the best thing for General Motors. I know this is an “ouch” but really looking at their numbers, including the life path number and honestly asking if you are living up to your potential is most important.

Having a 9 means they can be universal, it does not mean to dominate, it means to be universal, global. Their life path number, which is the d/m/yyyy the company was officially “born” was September, 16. 1908 which adds up (9/16/1908) to a 25/7. That tells me as well that it is necessary to come from a more spiritually based (morally based) objective. If they shift their consciousness, rather than their name, GM should thrive.

In the article by Emily Fredrix she also cited several corporations that changed their names and their image. I would like to reference some other name changes and “vibrational shifts” based on those changes. Some, although they shifted the name, did not shift their “destiny” “directional” vibration (number). I will talk a little about these corporations next entry.

Of course, other numbers come into play, such as the life path number of a company (the “birth date”) as I mentioned with GM, but my time is short here and this entry is long! I would like to add that yesterday I heard GM changed its name to "General Motors Company" to project a smaller more manageable company. Does this change work with the numerology? YES! because now they shift from a 9, which is the more global, humanitarian number to a 6 Directional Number, which is about caregiving and nurturing. It will be interesting to watch and see how they live up to this vibration.

See you next time!

Blessings, Catherine Poole, CMO of The WIN Firm

People are Buying!

2009-07-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone! I wanted to post an entry before those of us in the U.S. take time to celebrate our Independence Day. Today's post is a follow up to our theme of "sharing". However, you will discover from this post and moving forward, a series of posts that lead you through the workings of our firm and shed some light as to why we are small, work with BIG clients and are capable of producing your desired results. We are the WIN Firm, and our name is the beginning, middle and end of all we do. As you read this blog and follow our series, you will see that we value our clients and want to help them engage people on various levels with the sole intent of producing a winning formula. Therefore, you will discover in your reading that we share our work with YOU because it is how we ensure our clients become successful.

The best phrase(s) we love (and imagine you do as well) to hear at WIN is/are: "People are buying. We are really seeing an increase in customer satisfaction!" Wow! Doesn't that just make you feel good inside! We have won numerous design, concept and creative awards for our efforts, but none of those even come close to the feeling we have when our clients see the fruits of our labor. Imagine knowing that every client you work with has something great to say about you! Would you even need to show case studies to get new work? What if you could simply have work waiting for you instead of having to chase it all the time? If you think like me, having working waiting for you is a great relief! Thankfully, we at the WIN Firm have been able to shift our focus to being a firm dedicated to TRULY communicating your brand and you will see how we have been blessed with amazing clients in this series of posts! So, if you have been following along and wanted to know where we came from and what we do exactly, you will see it all in this series and be empowered with information to deliver the same results we do!

Think of a time when you bought something and it gave you goose bumps. You knew that your purchase was everything that you wanted. Can you remember a time when that happened? For most of us, this memory is most likely pushed down below all the memories we have of the junk we bought that ended up being thrown away or replaced. Can you think of what it was like being a child and buying that first pair of shoes you really wanted? Did you run faster, jump higher and feel proud of yourself for choosing such an awesome pair of shoes! I remember my first pair of L.A. Gear Pumps. I wanted the Reebok pumps, but my parents couldn't afford those, so L.A. Gear was next in line. It didn't matter to me that I wasn't wearing Reebok, because in my mind I had the same thing. I wore those shoes everyday with the biggest smile on my face and never even cared about Reebok! I bet all of you have similar stories like mine and can take a moment to remember the joy I experienced. What if you were able to find that same joy again? We help our clients find joy and instill that same happiness in their products and customers, which is why our clients have wonderful things to say about our work and continue to help us grow. As you follow this series of posts, you will share in the joy our clients experience and discover ways of implementing the things that make you happy into your work. We are the WIN Firm, and we want to see you win!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

What's in a Name?

2009-06-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am Catherine Poole, CMO and as part of WIN Firm, I will be contributing along with my partner, Chris Teague to this site. This entry is about the consciousness and energy your company name can communicate. Many may have heard of numerology, but not realize it can play a part in your business as well as your personal name.

I was visiting my mom recently; she lives in Anderson, Indiana. I was raised in Anderson and it has always been known as a GM town. Most of my friends’ parents worked at the Delco Remy or Guide Lamp factories. In its day, Anderson was a booming town and a booming economy. It has met its fate as many factory towns and the buildings are not even there anymore. As I sat at the breakfast table I noticed the Anderson morning paper’s front page headline was about whether or not GM should change its name?

Although I am known as The Queen of Color™, numerology is another aspect of the intuitive consulting I do. Just as color has its energy and vibrations, so do numbers. Numbers have corresponding colors as well and when they are in harmony, a name and how it is branded can help make a business sing. So for the next few entries I will address the power of a name and why it can make a difference in your company.

Going Beyond Your TV

2009-06-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! Today is great for us at the WIN Firm because we have the opportunity to share another marketing tool we have been using to much success. Today's post is going to be short, but ENGAGING!

Have you been in restrooms where there are advertisements posted on TV's or above bathroom stalls? Did you pay attention to these advertisements? For me personally, I was just in a restroom today and can't even remember the ads I saw! However, this doesn't mean that others forget them. I am not quite sure either what the advertising company pitches when it comes to ROI and traffic. I think it may go something like: "There are 500 people eating at this fine establishment every weekend, which means you have the opportunity to reach 500 people as they take a..." I'm sorry, but this pitch wouldn't fly for our clients.

Marketers and advertisers especially, do there best job to reach us. With the realization that YouTube is more powerful than TV, more and more marketers are utilizing their media budgets online and seeking to find consumers wherever we go, including the bathroom. To break free from the madness, I have developed various tools to get in YOUR face that I would like to share. I call these tools: When TV Blows, Try This!

Instead of posting advertisements for a company in bathrooms, we put stickers with taglines right on the urinals in men's stalls for a boating company. Guess what! It worked too! You see, men like boating and the whole water thing goes well when you're in the restroom. One thing we did was make sure that you saw the tagline and created a call to action that simply read: "We dare you to tell someone that I was caught thinking about boating in the bathroom TM." This call to action prompted men to be bold and worked well when the company promoted its tagline asking: "Where do you think about boating TM?" We went beyond your tv and caught you in the bathroom with a simple, yet effective strategy.

I hope that this "SECRET" strategy helps you think of being more creative than the TV permits you to be. Remember, people are watching less TV these days despite the Nielsen Ratings. Please, please, please! Don't trust the box!! I hope you have enjoyed WIN's session on: When TV Blows, Try THIS!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

2009-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day here in Tennessee and our Chicago office reports the same! I hope all is well with everyone following us at the WIN Firm! Today, we are going to get back on the topic of Keep Brazil Beautiful: our shoe marketing concept that communicates sustainability.

Previous posts on Keep Brazil Beautiful began with figuring design layouts, working with other groups in Brazil and developing a strong concept to communicate to the masses. Yesterday, I posted a topic on simple marketing, mentioning my trip to Chattanooga over the weekend. This trip was fun and very informative. In fact, I was able to shop a potential competitor and compare our concept with their concept to receive some qualitative feedback. The results were awesome for Keep Brazil Beautiful!

Realizing that we had first touched a good side of people with our initial concept of donating a portion of our shoe sales back to the Rain Forest, we have sought to strengthen this concept and have received great feedback along with some attention from other shoe companies in Brazil and here in the U.S. Therefore, our concept is fully dedicated to promoting a truly "Green" and "Sustainable" cause through reactive and proactive sustainability measures. This approach will enable our client to far surpass any competition that exists today.

We have mentioned that our marketing is for all to see. However, out of respect and per client request, we will not reveal the total sustainability concept to you in our blog, but don't worry: you'll see it all over the place soon enough! Just know that we do a lot of field research and through our research we have discovered key reasons why we as consumers buy shoes and how certain companies like, Tom's Shoes, successfully sell their shoes based on cause-oriented marketing concepts. Therefore, we have modified our concept to encompass complete, and whole sustainability. Did you know that when you buy our client's shoes you will be supporting economic development and growth? YOU WILL! Way to go! Way to support progress!

Your support will be shared by all those who wear our client's shoes and each of you wearing them will know that you have truly made a difference in the lives of those in-need. Our concept is not only reactive, meaning we don't merely wish to contribute to an existing problem. Rather, we wish to provide opportunities for growth through funding of prevention methods to problems/challenges. This is something our client's competitors are no where near doing and if they were to read this blog, they still would be far behind what we have developed.

Our marketing of these shoes will enable people to develop tools for future growth. We aren't simply going to help those in-need, we are going to EMPOWER them. Actually, YOU are going to be the KEY DRIVER to this empowerment. Just think! Your purchase of a wonderful shoe will not only make you feel good and look good, it will truly provide growth opportunities for our intended beneficiaries. Thanks to our good friend, Dan Oda, we have been able to see a much larger picture of the power we have to market this concept for our client. Therefore, we are proud to use our expertise and skills in marketing to promote PROGRESS! In fact, YOU are the answer! Congratulations for caring!! By the way, I hope you enjoy the shoes!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Keeping Marketing Simple

2009-06-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Good evening! It is evening for us in Tennessee, and I wanted to post a short blog on some excellent marketing strategies I witnessed over the weekend. The best part about these strategies is that they were all simple! There were no flashy creatives or trendy web 2.0 gimmicks involved. This was just plain, simple and beautiful marketing at its core. It was brilliant!

First off, I ate at a restaurant that had the best call to action I have seen lately. In fact, its tag line was the call to action. I had the privilege of returning to my home city of Chattanooga, TN this weekend for a music festival, Riverbend. While in Chattanooga, I went with my sister to have some brunch at the Blue Plate Special downtown. When I first walked into the restaurant, I read "EAT HERE NOW" in all capital letters. The letters were very big and caught your eye immediately. What a great tag line! Seriously, it was great because it was so simple, yet powerful. There was no talk about how long the restaurant had been making tasty food (it was very tasty!) or anything like that at all. I thought of asking to speak with the owner to discuss his or her strategy, but decided I would just let it be (maybe next time). I am not sure how well sales are going, but I know the place was busy!

Next, at the festival there were all sorts of people handing out free samples of new products, but the the unique thing that caught my eye was a fan. There were several colleges present at vendor booths during Riverbend, but two made it a point to interact with the crowd. The local university, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and a local private school, Covenant College, both were in full force passing out fans for those seeking to cool off. However, Covenant College was ready to take their fan giving a step further and completely out marketed their counterparts at UTC. Covenant's foot marketers not only handed out fans, but told us to look at the fan and go to their web-site to win a free MAC. I know that this strategy is nothing spectacular, but it was simple and worked! Covenant created a special URL specifically to measure its impact at Riverbend. Again, simple and sweet!

What's the point of this post. The point is that we as marketers tend to overlook the simple things of marketing like merely adding a call to action with whatever we are promoting. Just take a look at the top creative ad campaigns today and tell me what they are asking us to do. Are they saying "EAT HERE?" Some do, some do not. We as human beings need to be guided. We desire some sort of direction. Direction that is simple and easy to follow. Therefore, to end my post I am going to leave you with a call to action: Come back tomorrow to read about how Keep Brazil Beautiful is progressing.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Why Aren't We Listening?

2009-06-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

"If there's no war outside our heads, WHY are we losing?" As I was searching for some juice to add to a campaign this morning, the above line from rock group, Rise Against, caught my attention and perked my creativity a bit. I thought to myself, "What does war mean to me, and how does this particular word impact my conscious and subconscious decision making?" I then started playing with the theme of waging war on my own campaign and decided that I was flirting too much with being cliche and unoriginal. So, I realized that I had begun this post with a catchy line, but no substance to back it up! Then, I realized something: Marketers and agencies are doing the same thing everyday and we are getting paid big bucks for pushing a lackluster product.

Marketers and agencies are so busy competing for our attention that they have overlooked the values we seek in a company, product and ourselves. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, so I have no intention of generalizing all marketers and agencies. However, I want you to think about the top ads you have seen recently and how you reacted to them. Did you feel connected? Did you feel you belonged? Did you see yourself? I won't speak for you, but please think about these questions and then ask: Do I care about this concept I am seeing advertised to me?

As the V.P. of a marketing firm, I have lived a few years trying to persuade you to buy said product and tell you how un-cool you are if you choose something else. I have even belittled you to the point that I completely lost you while making lots of money for being a creative marketer. Who am I to do this? What happened to me? I completely "SOLD OUT" and in doing so, LOST YOU. So, if you are a marketer reading this post, please understand that I think we have a purpose to serve, and it shouldn't be about us.

There are many theories, philosophies and cases for why marketing absolutely blows today overall, but the case I present here is that we are too concerned about ourselves and not our clients, especially not our consumers. How can a marketer connect with a consumer being and living so selfishly? Obviously, things aren't going too well.

For those agencies and marketers that are connecting, I congratulate you! I even encourage you to land a huge contract and use all of your ammunition to reconnect by thinking of others before yourself. Use your marketing to reconnect and help us rebuild this beautiful country.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Paying a Quick Respect

2009-06-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

After playing around on Twitter this evening and searching for the WIN Firm on Google, I came across our blog and am pleased it is appearing in search. One thing I noticed after reading my earlier post today is that I needed to pay some respect to a couple of authors who reminded me why I love marketing.

Being responsible for implementing new strategy for growth at the WIN Firm, I am always thinking of how to compete and grow in today's market place. However, after reading and recently, re-reading Punk Marketing, I realized that there are people out there who care just as much about you as I do, and these people are fed up with the disconnection that exists among marketers and you. I also wanted to publicly let a couple of authors know that I appreciate them for bringing Punk into marketing, because the key to Punk Rock was that it came from the underground and was led by one of the most creative and artistic generations of music listeners who were tired of complacency.

Who are these authors I respect and thank for calling out the complacent, detached marketers of today? Mr. Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons have earned my colleagues and my praises for their work today.

I wrote this post because I did not want the two men who helped get me back on track to think I thought ill of them based on an earlier statement I made on today's first post. If you guys read this post, please know that I think you could add much more about Punk Rock and the entire counterculture that truly changed the face of music through some of the most creative marketing ever to exist in the music industry. What's great about the Punk movement is that this marketing did not come from any multi-million dollar brand budget. Instead, this marketing came from a connection found amongst people fed up with complacency. Punk Marketing reminded me of this passion I have to go against the grain.

Thank YOU, Richard and Mark!

Blessings,

Chris Teague

V.P. Marketing

WIN Firm

Marketing the Heart: Cause-oriented Marketing

2009-06-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day here in Johnson City, TN and all systems are a go for the WIN Firm. I hope each of you following or reading this blog is well and I wish you much success in all you do. Since our work with launching a product to help with social change through environmental and educational growth, we at the WIN Firm have been defining our own purpose for marketing. Therefore, today's topic is an introduction into the marketing we stand by and will support.

Marketing is the reason people gravitate to brands and purchase products. We as human beings are conditioned to following the leader, or in this case, the brand. However, I have discovered over my ten years of marketing experience that there is a growing disconnection between the marketer and consumer. This topic has been debated and addressed by various people, and there is even a book about losing touch with the consumer entitled: Punk Marketing. Thus, there is no reason for me to reiterate what someone else has said. Rather, today's topic is about the marketing I have challenged the WIN Firm to choose that connects with you, the consumer; the person.

If you are following marketing, then I am sure you have heard about "Big Dog" agencies that land HUGE accounts and win all sorts of creative awards. These agencies are truly talented and we at the WIN Firm appreciate the quality of work produced by them. Despite all the talented marketers in existence today with all of their awards, people still are disconnected. Why is that? What aren't marketers doing right today? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but do know that the WIN Firm is heading in a new direction and has no desire to take part in today's marketing culture the way it is.

I don't care about a commercial with puppets featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant no matter how creative it is. The commercial just doesn't appeal to me, and especially doesn't make me feel compelled to buy some Nike shoes. However, I did once love buying the new Jordan's when I was a teenager. Why? I felt that the shoes connected me to Michael Jordan. Wearing his shoes represented "Greatness." So, I have taken a new avenue in marketing and pitched the following idea to our firm:

Why not find a company that truly is great or tries to be great, cares for people and takes action to promote greatness instead of created an over-marketed false image of a company that wants you to think of them as great?

This question was not taken too well by my fellow marketers and I was even asked to reconsider my position. I didn't back down and even developed my own concepts, campaigns and pitched them to our firm as if I was pitching them to a client. Guess what? I still didn't get the full buy-in I wanted, but I did open the door and that paved the way for what I am doing now. My door is open a little, but now I want to bust through and have the challenge of producing.

I mentioned greatness earlier and also mentioned a book on marketing that has a theme of doing it the "Punk" way. Not to slam the authors of the book, but they missed the key to what started a revolution of underground music that led to the emergence of bands like Nirvana. I won't rant and rave on the history of punk rock (even though I love it!). Instead, I want to use the counter-culture movement that ignited punk rock and is ingrained into our culture today. The beauty of this movement is that it needed no "Big" agency to help it grow. No, this cultural shift in music came from the heart, which is where I want to take marketing.

Why should the WIN Firm create a concept for a business to increase sales or market position if it has no heart? Why should we spend months developing a brand when you have no brand to begin with? Instead, I pose the option of putting all of our skills that make decent companies look like solid companies through our creative marketing, advertising or whatever you want to call it, into companies that truly are GREAT. What companies am I talking about? How about ones that help their fellow human being? How about a group that feeds the hungry? How about a company that gives kids a shot at life? These companies are GREAT! They already see value in life! These are the companies that the WIN Firm is going to help.

There is no need to make up greatness when it already exists. So, I care nothing about the marketing culture of today that promotes mediocrity and complacency. I care about YOU! Therefore, I don't want to persuade you to buy a new car because you will be safe, look cool or have great gas mileage. I want you to see your fellow human being in-need and help him or her. The WIN Firm is moving into this direction of cause-oriented marketing, and with your help, I can make it happen sooner than later.

I would like to extend an opportunity for you to nominate your favorite cause-related group that promotes positive, ethical values and standards and tell me what makes the group great. I will then expend all of my energies, talents and God-given marketing skills to promote the best presented cause. The WIN Firm has given me permission to embark on this venture, so if you care enough, tell me what organization the WIN Firm can help. I will even launch my own product to sell on behalf of the selected group and donate at least thirty percent of all sales to the group. Therefore, I will put my marketing where my mouth is, or I should say, MY HEART! Please e-mail your submissions at:

chris@thewinfirm.com

I am also on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/thewinfirm10

Blessings,

Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Tools for Communication

2009-05-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Brasil...Que BELEZA! Bem vindo a gente! What did I just write? Well, I basically wrote that Brazil is Beautiful and welcome to our blog. On behalf of all those hard workers here at the WIN Firm, I say, "THANK YOU" for following the blog. I want to share with you some of the tools we have chosen to communicate our concept: Keep Brazil Beautiful.

Selecting the appropriate tools for communication is very important, and we like to use all the tools that work. Would you like to build a house with a hammer and nails alone? You might, but we at the WIN Firm don't take those chances. Therefore, we are not going to put all of our energies into only using the trendy new media of today to reach our audience. What? We are not going to start a FaceBook fan page and play on Twitter everyday? Nope, those things don't really make anyone money and our clients want to get paid. We are about producing results through careful processes and procedures.

The first tool we want to use is the good ole television. Yes, people do still like T.V. in the states and we will use a creative commercial communicating the concept of caring and be proactive. We will develop a commercial series that grabs you and puts you into a group you feel comfortable belonging to. Do you ever see beer commercials with one person drinking by themselves? Don't think so. We all want to be part of something, so you will get your chance with this campaign.

The next tool we are going to use will be events. We want you to experience the thrill of giving and receiving, so all of you will be invited to partake.

The third tool revealed today will be a customized web-site unlike any other charity based site. This site will allow you to personally see where your money is going and give you the opportunity to dictate how it is spent. You will be amazed!

That's it for today. Catch us next time...Same place...Keep BRAZIL BEAUTIFUL!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

It's All About YOU!

2009-05-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! We are already in the middle of the week! I am pleased to report that our concept: Keep Brazil Beautiful is continuing to grow and everyone here at the WIN Firm looks forward to launching the promotional program and seeing our client reap the rewards of being socially responsible. Well, let's dive right into the work...it's awesome!

With all the hype around green marketing these days, we have really nailed a concept for our client that is going to change the way they sell shoes and bring them a greater reward than sales. What is this reward? Our client is going to build a connection with YOU, and YOU are going to build a relationship with our client. The marketing strategy behind Keep Brazil Beautiful is centered around continued growth and longevity. While short term sales are going to please our client's CFO and various Product managers, the future WIN is building through this marketing campaign is going to deliver something better than mere ROI numbers; we are going to connect YOU with our client for life.

Was that previous sentence a bold statement or what! I stand behind that statement and will do so as long as this campaign continues. Why? My reason is that Keep Brazil Beautiful is not just a sales or marketing ploy to make you buy shoes, though the client's intent is to sell lots of shoes. This campaign is truly about helping the environment, producing sustainable growth and empowering students to be socially aware. Keep Brazil Beautiful is designed to go beyond the traditional non-profit model of charging for services to react to a given need; rather, our model is going to proactively strive to reduce our global footprint along with reacting by replenishing rubber trees.

It's all about YOU! Yes, we at the WIN Firm realized that Keep Brazil Beautiful is one of those causes you are going to be proud of and support; it's not merely a marketing concept. We are turning our client's shoes into a vehicle that promotes caring. Of course marketing this concept is going to make our client money, but the non-profit side of this concept is about giving and receiving. Is this green marketing? Well, maybe; but, we are striving to grow and green marketing is merely a trend right now. As we all know, trends die, so our marketing is about future growth and causes are the future. In fact, causes are the past, present and future. All we are doing from the marketing side is communicating this concept in a manner that fully engages you and prompts you to take action. Our client saw the value of this concept as soon as we presented our canvas, and we are thankful to be working with such an astounding and responsible client.

Are we the first to realize that marketing based on a cause is the way to go? Of course not! However, you will see that our strategies and methods for communicating this cause are effective. One of our followers of this blog asked a question about the research we did over the past ten years on non-profits. J.R., here is your answer to the research. Non-profits that are able to mobilize and raise millions of dollars are the ones who know how to communicate. A simple answer yes, but I will elaborate. United Way communicates very well. Using visual images that not only inform us of what they are doing, but give us a direction to follow, the United Way has mastered the art of speaking to our conscious or I should say, subconscious. Have you seen a thermometer posted on a street corner displaying the amount of money raised up to a certain point? Did you realize the goal was not met and have a sudden feeling that you should give? Were you relieved to know that you held on to the letter your boss sent around about their participation in United Way as a company? Whether United Way knew that this visual image would successfully communicate the urgency and importance of giving subconsciously or not makes no difference, the point is that this simple way of communicating to you on the surface and penetrating the surface works.

The WIN Firm uses studies like United Way and other successful studies from today's leading non-profit organizations to learn how effective their communications are at reaching you. Twitter, MySpace, FaceBook and all of that social media jazz is the "thing" to do today if you want to stay up with the times. Yes, this new way of communicating is important, but organizations that keep their brand and last know how to use all available tools of communication to fuse the art and science of marketing that works for them. These companies and organizations are the ones that may struggle finacially during difficult economic times, but their image never tarnishes; thus, their perceived value remains strong. We at the WIN Firm use this knowledge so that our marketing strategies go beyond the short-term, quick fix solutions that many businesses get caught up in, and we provide them with the tools to achieve the short and long term successes that keep their fire burning.

As I end this blog for today, I do want to say that everyone who has commentted and provided WIN feedback is great! THANK YOU! Dan, we will be talking later this week and your ideas are right on target with where our firm wants to take clients. I hope everyone has enjoyed this post today and that you be blessed in all you do!

Blessings,
Chris

Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Working because we Care!

2009-05-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone! I hope all is well in your world today and thank you for keeping up with us at the WIN Firm. Our CMO, Catherine Poole, is going to begin posting a motivational blog for everyone on our blogspot called, The Thursday Kick! I am very thankful to have such a dedicated team of marketing gurus to work with and our cohesiveness produces wonderful results for our partners/clients.

Are you ready to discover how things are progressing with the concept: Keep Brazil Beautiful?

First, before we begin, I want to thank Dan Oda for a wonderful conversation about more giving opportunities related to this campaign. Dan, "OBRIGADAO, VIU!" The beauty of not being secretive and allowing others to view what we are working on has proven to be a great business model for WIN. This Wikinomics approach to working with doors open makes us much better marketers for our clients. In fact, I have received a suggestion to make a profile change and another regarding a spelling mistake on Exxon Mobile; both were great suggestions. See, this feedback is exactly what we need to be sharp!

Now, to the project! We mentioned in last week's blog that design and style were removed from our list of deliverables for time being due to further research needed on shoe-wearing consumers. Therefore, we began researching consumer behavior in terms of shoes being worn today and also spent the past week mapping out our course of giving models so that people truly know their investment is helping. We want everyone to not only buy our client's fabulous shoes because they are cool, trendy and comfortable; rather, we desire a stronger, more emotional connection to you, the consumer, than the simple thrill of owning some new shoes.

We have taken our giving concept to a new level, and Dan gave us some wonderful insight into being proactive in helping Brazil versus our original reactive approach. We decided that being proactive is what many non-profit organizations lack today in the U.S. It seems every grant I write for Second Harvest Food Bank is based on a reaction to an identified problem: hunger. What are we doing to prevent hunger? This question led me to think harder about our Keep Brazil Beautiful concept. What can we do to truly bless the country that gives us so much rubber for the shoes we wear? What about being even more environmentally aware while promoting education as well?

Yes, we are going deeper into our concept. Why? We work because we care for our clients, and we develop marketing concepts for clients who care for you, me and the environment. Thus, there is a new development of giving. Dan posed a great idea of tree planting that involves partnering with Google, using its mapping software along with cross-promotion efforts to implement an "Adopt a Tree for Brazil's Children" campaign. You would continue buying these wonderful shoes, knowing that your money is going back to replenish the Rain Forest, but you will also be able to provide ongoing support that truly Keeps Brazil Beautiful.

By adopting a tree, your investment will go to the future of Brazil. We will start a tree forest on a University's property that is close to the Rain Forest. We are now working on the logistics of making this idea a reality and furthering our campaign, so more information is to come around this new development. Imagine, you will help the environment through specific tree placement and planting as well as help provide work opportunities and education to University students. Imagine a campaign like this in the U.S. Wow! Working because we care is not only going to sell a whole lot of shoes for our client, but we are also proactively taking care of people and the environment. Maybe we should be a non-profit marketing firm! I hope you have enjoyed today's post! Please comment.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

The Movement

2009-05-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to today! Welcome to the movement! We at the WIN Firm enjoy seeing the care, compassion and creativity people today are displaying all over the world. I hope those of you who are following our work find what we do to be inspiring. Yes, we said INSPIRING! Our goals are to share marketing concepts that help us all be more active in caring for this world we live in and its inhabitants. Okay, I will stop with the humanitarian rant for now, because you came to read about our progress on the concept we have developed: Keep Brazil Beautiful.

First, let me applaud the efforts of my colleagues and all of you who have contributed to our development of this exciting marketing concept we call Keep Brazil Beautiful. Now, I would like to dive right into what we have been doing the past few days since I last posted our work.

We have recently changed a bit of direction in our development and feel that the designing of boxes and possibly changing the design of the shoes is going to be put on hold due to the research we have gathered up to this point. Want to know what we have learned and are learning? We have discovered that people all over the place are wearing cool, hip and comfortable shoes. So, we want to know why people prefer the shoes they are wearing without the usual response of price or style. Rather, we are developing research to understand that subconscious reason why you wear the shoes you wear. Therefore, we have arranged plenty of field observations to be conducted and will report those to you.

One activity we have been doing is meeting with other marketing professionals and designers and sharing our concept with them. We have received valuable insight and feedback to our concept and are constantly learning more everyday. One marketing group shared that their clients are moving to communicating more eco-friendly products to consumers. In fact, a recent study done by Home Depot revealed sales increases by products that communicated their friendliness to the environment despite the lower priced competitive product. Home Depot is just one example of many, but it has proved our social cause marketing concept is right on track.

We embrace this social consciousness people are demonstrating and have designed our campaign to let them display their caring through the use of a practical item, shoes. Imagine walking into a board meeting seeing the CEO of Exxon Moblie wearing these "friendly" shoes you have been hearing about. Would that change your perception of this massive oil company? Just think, these shoes are part of a movement and you can be part of that movement: The movement of caring.

I know this blog has been pretty short, but I wanted to post an update for our faithful followers and anyone interested in seeing what marketing looks like behind the scenes.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Doing our Homework Pays Off

2009-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone following the WIN Firm is having a fantastic day and I wish you well this weekend! Today's brief topic covers the importance of doing your homework. Our teachers had right all along: we will always have homework! Well, that is true for my colleagues and me at WIN. Are you ready to learn what took us several years to learn in about five minutes?

What we have researched, studied, reviewed, analyzed...or whatever we were doing, has enabled us to develop a strong strategy to delivering our shoe concept. Keep Brazil Beautiful is not a campaign that we sat around singing camp-fire songs one evening and came up with. The social cause of our marketing concept arose many years ago when our executive team began serving on various non-profit boards, because we wanted to make a difference. Guess what we learned over the past 10 years or so serving on these non-profit boards: You want to make a difference too!

I will not bother you with statistics today, though I am sure some of you are interested in data sets. Rather, I will summarize what we have all learned over the span of 10 years: People care about giving, and those who have, do give. Corporations who give see the biggest return for their efforts too! Don't believe me? Have you been to Wal-Mart lately? Did you see all of those shoppers? More important, I hope you noticed how the employees and have taken notice to the non-layoff of employees while other "Big Fish" are downsizing to no end. Wal-Mart gives more than any other corporation and they seek to truly make a positive impact on their communities.

Our shoes are designed on giving back. We know that you care and that you are still buying shoes even if you won't buy that designer outfit. Therefore, our concept is backed by over a decade of actual and direct research, observation and participation. Thanks for reading and please help us Keep Brazil Beautiful.

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing-WIN Firm

Living with a Cause

2009-04-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Good day to everybody keeping up with the WIN Firm's marketing projects. As always, I welcome your feedback to this post and want you to know our doors are open and we believe in sharing our marketing knowledge to all interested parties. Did you like that disclaimer? Seriously, we at the WIN Firm are really pleased with the progress we are making on various projects and are excited to share our discoveries in this ever-changing marketing world with you. Are you ready to hear how our Brazil project is progressing?

I apologize for not posting on Friday, and will not offer up any excuses for my missed post. I just ask for your understanding and forgiveness.

Let's get started on telling you how our strategies are being formed for the Keep Brazil Beautiful campaign. First, after several years of researching the concept of social causes and non-profit marketing, we have found that people really do care about helping others, their community, the environment, etc... Therefore, we have developed a concept to sell shoes. Yes, we are selling shoes that touch your emotional neurons and make you believe in what you are buying. We have a firm understanding of why you support various non-profits, and have developed this campaign based on the non-profit model of caring.

After we first posted this blog and told people that we were opening up our core, people thought we were really making a mistake. I disagree. You and I and everyone in the world knows how to market something. Ever been asked how you were? Were you actually lousy but responded that you were alright? Well, this response is what we call perception management. Therefore, you manage your perception everyday with the way you comb (or don't) your hair, the way keep your house, etc...

How does all of this perception management tie into our project of selling Brazilian shoes? The answer is that when you wear these shoes you are managing a perception that lets others know you care. Yes, IT IS THE SHOES! You will be telling everyone who sees your shoes how much you are aware of the decisions you make, especially when it comes to the things you buy. What better way to communicate you care than to walk in the shoes of caring?

Our advertising and promotional strategies will all convey the message of our shoe being the BRAND that cares. As we have stated before, we are willing to do whatever it takes to build confidence in our brand and show you where your money is actually going. Our web-sites are going to be designed for you to follow the shoes journey to replenishing the Rain Forest in Brazil and Keeping Brazil Beautiful. Don't we need a company that truly is a steward of goodwill?

Until next time, be blessed in all you do!

Blessings,
Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing
WIN Firm

Campaign Concept

2009-04-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Good day to all following WIN's work! I hope each of you have been blessed with a wonderful day. Again, thank you for following our work; we hope it is benefitting your marketing approaches as well. As always, I want everyone to know that our doors are open and we at WIN believe marketing should be shared instead of kept as some secret art form. We want to turn marketing into more of a science than a guessing game, so our blog is designed to be collaborative effort with all of you to ensure we are taking the proper steps that benefit our clients. Okay, here we go!

Keep Brazil Beautiful

Since our shoe company is based in Brazil, we want to give back to this beautiful country. The shoes we are marketing are the tool to be used to help raise awareness for our cause to replenish the Rain Forest. As David Pennington commented on our blog last week, wearing your shoes shows everyone you care. Therefore, we are going to take the shoe's brand to a new level of social awareness. The company and brand will be known for its social consciousness and be seen as a brand that represents YOU as caring.

There are several causes that companies have used to promote their products and we have studied or discovered several amazing campaigns thanks to those of you who have been following us and others. We are currently posting questions all over the web and have received SUPER responses! If you responded, "THANK YOU!"

We are taking these responses and comparing them to similar campaigns based on social causes so that we can fully understand what works. We believe marketing is a science of discovery and want to go away from the art of guessing. Our clients do not pay us to guess, so we make sure we focus on the processes needed to ensure we are not guessing; thus, this campaign is all about using what works and will work.

We have designed the Keep Brazil Beautiful concept as an offering for other companies and you to see our brand as one that helps to replenish what it uses. How do we do this? We will operate as many non-profits do, raising money for a cause, but giving you something COOL in return; a comfortable, urban and professional looking shoe that shows YOU care.

We are even going a step further than most companies by establishing a non-profit foundation that uses the shoes as on of its fundraising efforts for earth preservation. Our brand will connect with all those who have a heart for change and progress, but will also connect with those who want to feel good about the products they buy. These shoes are designed to be marketed around this concept of: Doing equals Caring. Keep Brazil Beautiful is about Being Beautiful.

Come back Friday for more!

Blessings,

Chris Teague

V.P. Marketing-WIN Firm

Product Integration Updates

2009-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone following us at WIN! If you are a first time reader of our blog, you will find that we are sharing all of our marketing strategies on various projects throughout the year. For all of you who have posted comments and given us insight into our current Brazil project, I would like to say, "Thank YOU!" Remember, anyone is welcome to share some advice you may have or comment (respectfully) about our project. Okay, it is off to the updates!

Phase I continued: Rewarding the consumer
I posted two questions today on one of my LinkedIn Groups and will pose those two questions to you as well, but want to briefly explain what we seek to accomplish by asking these questions. We are trying to evaluate the best methods of rewarding our consumers for purchasing the shoes we are marketing. For now, $15 of your purchase goes to our Keep Brazil Beautiful fund, which is part of our marketing campaign: Keep Brazil Beautiful. Therefore, we are focused on making sure that consumers are fully confident in the shoe's brand and its efforts to support the Rain Forest.

By understanding the most effective ways of demonstrating where actual dollars (the $15 donated) are going, we can build trust among consumers. Too many companies have fallen into the "Green" trend only to fall flat on their face by not practicing what they market. We are not a firm that believes in these tactics; therefore, we are studying the easiest way to demonstrate and build a brand of trust among our customers.

Here are the two questions we would like to have answered, so please comment:

1. What can the company do to provide you with proof of your donation after purchase?

2. What recognition would you like to receive for your purchase and donation?

That's it for me today everyone! Please answer these questions and throw in a few comments of your own. Again, we are open and WELCOME you to follow our marketing journies. Have a great day!

Blessings,
Chris

Chris Teague
V.P. Marketing- WIN Firm

Product Integration Part 2

2009-04-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Good Friday everyone! I wish all of those following WIN's work a wonderful Easter. Today has been an incredible day for us at WIN. We are all taking time to be with family, but we do have one brief conference call today before all work is finished for the weekend. Since our call is in about 10 minutes, this blog update will be brief, but complete.

Let me start off by thanking our local business community, especially the World Trade Center and Regional Alliance of northeast Tennessee. For those of you new to our firm, our main office of operation is in Johnson City, TN, but we have production offices in Philadelphia, San Diego, Atlanta, Nashville and Chattanooga. Our strategy team actually transplanted here in northeast Tennessee from all over the country and world and are proud to live here! Okay, enough said about where we live; you came to see what we have been up to since Wednesday.

Phase I continued:

We have received a lot of feedback for boxing/package designs for the shoes and will be exploring some of those in more detail than we have presently. We would like to thank Andrew Darlington from Heritage Insurance Group, Javier Soriano (independent) and J.R. Augustene (independent) for their input.

We currently are working on developing the Keep Brazil Beautiful Campaign that consists of creating a way for consumers of our shoes to actually see where their money is going. People no longer trust a company being "green" merely because the company says they are. Therefore, we are developing a relationship with folks in Brazil to create a fund that supports the Rain Forest.

To show you where your money is going, we are going to have funds sent every month from the shoe sales directly to the Keep Brazil Beautiful fund. As stated before, we are donating $15 from every sale to preserve the Rain Forest, but we want you to know where the money is going. We are developing a page on our site that posts all the names of people who purchased the shoes during a month and updates them on the campaign's growth.

We will tally up all of the funds at the month's end and send the money over to Brazil. Each person who bought the shoes will receive a certificate of purchase and donation to the fund. We will authenticate the purchase even further by a check donation covered by U.S. and Brazilian media, so you will see your money going where we say it is going.

This is all I have for you today due to my time constraints. Please check us out on Wednesday for more updates. As always, please comment if you have any suggestions.

Happy Easter and Bless You!

Chris Teague

V.P. Marketing

WIN Firm

Product Integration in the U.S.

2009-04-08T11:26:00.001-07:00

What a great week! WIN has been busy developing and learning how to integrate an international product into our lovely U.S. market. Let me be the first to say that this is an absolutely AWESOME project! Okay, that is enough of my chatter; let's move on to the work I talked about sharing with everyone who follows our blog.

Phase 1 Marketing:

We have been working on developing customs relationships with ports in Charleston, SC to eventually bring the product over to the states. However, we are not physically importing the product in bulk until we have proven there is enough interest in our market to take on this task. Therefore, our initial phase of marketing will be to introduce the shoes using viral and guerilla marketing strategies.

As with any marketing campaign, you need to know who you are talking to and what to say to them. This product is geared towards an urbanized audience that is interested in music like emo, rock, punk, goth and bluegrass. Yes, bluegrass listeners fit the mold. You will see why later.

Our audience is prone to be proactive for causes they believe in and have proven they act on emotion. Recent examples of our audience's drive to make decisions based on passionate beliefs are an increase in green energy efforts, increases in Prius sales, decreases in fast food use, increases in organic products and the recently elected President Obama whose platform of CHANGE encouraged an entire country to move into a new direction.

Knowing this information, we have created a campaign based on charitable giving. The first shoes we will introduce to the U.S. market will be a special edition shoe that supports the Rain Forest. Each consumer who buys the shoes will have $15 go to protecting the Rain Forest and keeping Brazil BEAUTIFUL.

These shoes will be as "green" as possible. The boxing will be made out of eco-friendly material. Does anyone have any recommendations for the most eco-friendly boxing we could use? There will be a big THANK YOU for supporting Brazil's BEAUTY on the box, so that consumers know what they are wearing is HELPING.

We are in the box design phase right now, so I am uncertain exactly what the box will look like, but you I will be posting some samples to this blog once we have decided on a few to sample.

We are also in the process of developing several micro-sites to attract the urbanized market and developing a strong viral/guerilla campaign to drive people to these sites. We will be sending street marketers to various concerts, events and locations where our audience lives.

I will end our blog with the information that has been provided today, but please check in with us on Friday to see what we have been up to. Remember, our doors are open! Being open means that we WELCOME comments and constructive ideas.

Have a blessed day!

"By focusing on the processes of life, we allow God to handle the results."-WIN's motto

Smell

2009-04-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone following my blog! I hope that you are well and that all continues to go well for you throughout the day. Today's blog is the final component of "Playing on the Senses." Today, I will address the sense of smell and how it is used to engage us as consumers.

After today's blog I will be doing something that all of us at The WIN Firm feel is the best way to educate anyone interested in the inner-workings of a marketing campaign. We are going to share our strategies for various projects as we work on them. This is an open invitation into our world of marketing.

Why would we share our "secrets?" The answer we have is that those in marketing already know and understand these concepts, so they really are not secrets. Secondly, everyone is a marketer by the following definition: Managing perception. Lastly, we hope you become engaged in our activities and that you discover ways our strategies might help you come up with something even better than we are doing.

Our work is to serve our partnering clients, and the best way to do that is being open to new and old ideas that work. Therefore, I invite you to comment freely (please be polite) as you follow along on various campaigns.

Now that I have informed you on what is to come, it is time to move back to our topic for today, learning how our sense of smell impacts us.

Smell
Have you ever been walking outside and suddenly began recalling a particular time in your life? This recollection of time was not anything you were event thinking about as your walk started, but for some reason you are now drawn into a moment in time that has you thinking and feeling. How did this happen? There are several various causes for this to happen, but the one I want to focus on is our sense of smell.

Walking outside, you might have passed by a honeysuckle bush and the aroma of that bush immediately triggered a moment in your life when you smelled that same aroma. What you were feeling at an earlier point in life comes back to you, and suddenly, you feel a sense of dejavu. What feelings do you have after smelling a honeysuckle bush? Can this smell of honeysuckle perhaps be used to capture that feeling and turn it into an opportunity for a company to engage you?

Most of us have probably heard stories about various restaurants turning their exhausts outwards so that you smell what they are cooking as you pass by. I will even bet that most of you know the reason behind this strategy; to make you hungry! Restaurants do not have to really put too much effort into making things smell good, but they do need to make sure their smell makes you hungry. So, what does make you hungry? A grilled burger or steak? French fries? Whatever you are thinking of right now is what restaurants are thinking too.

Have you ever opened a magazine that had perfume samples to smell? Did you read the rest of the magazine? Could you tell me what magazine it was that had the sample if I let you smell the sample again? Think about it for a moment, and even try it to see if you can recall a particular magazine. I even welcome your comments on this little test.

The point I am making by suggesting a smell test is that their are ways we as marketers can use smells to evoke certain feelings from people. If you are a skeptical, please pass by your local mall and tell me what you think. I will bet what you think is somewhat influenced by a smell that has triggered neurons in your brain and sent them flying. Try it and see! Once you do, you will discover how smell can be used as a marketing strategy.

http://twitter.com/thewinfirm10

Playing on the Senses: Taste

2009-03-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

This post is a continuation of the previous post I made on using our 5 senses in marketing. I don't pretend to have all the answers when it comes to using our senses for marketing campaigns, but am always interested in how they play a part in every decision we make. Therefore, this post will focus on the sense of "Taste."

Taste

Using a passage from Martin Lindstrum's book, Buyology (a must read), companies have used taste tests to drive customers through their doors for many years. An example from the book is the Pepsi vs. Coke taste tests that proves Pepsi does actually taste better than Coke. However, this is because Pepsi's taste test only had people take a sip of their product versus drinking an entire can. In fact, most people find Pepsi too sweet, but will hands-down pick it over Coke for that initial burst of flavor. So, how do companies lure us into buying their tasty products?

Living in Brazil for three years taught me a lot about taste testing. In fact, everyday I went to the supermercdo, there was always a product for me to taste or sample, followed by a nice coupon to buy said product. I will have to admit that I tried most everything people offered without hesitation. Free food? Sure! So, do taste tests actually make us buy a product we had no intention of buying when walking into the grocery store?

Using sales reports from three large supermercado's in Curitiba, Brazil, I have seen firsthand how taste tests drive sales. I even have succumb to the almighty product that delighted me with its sweet and spicy flavor; one I had no intention of buying. How can a company that doesn't sell anything related to food take advantage of this concept of taste testing?

What if a business partnered with a company trying to launch a new, tasty product and could host the tasting? Keep in mind, that this tasty product must really taste good. Would people associate their pleasure for the sampled product with the company sponsoring the testing? Would people actually think of the sponsor company as being a tasty company as well?

In this new age of consumer-controlled marketing, companies are held at the mercy of their consumers. People aren't as easily convinced something is good because said company says so. We must feel that a company is good, and in this case, we must think it taste good. Thus, is it possible for non-food/beverage company to taste good?

Playing on the Senses

2009-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Do you remember your grade-school teachers stressing the importance of science? If you are anything like me, then you listened but never really seemed interested to what anyone of authority was really saying during your adolescence. Perhaps, I should have listened a little more intently to the lesson on "Using Our Senses." As every marketer knows, playing on our senses is a key element in delivering messages to audiences.

My question is, "How do you know what senses to use?" I will focus on just three: Hearing, Touching and Seeing.

Hearing:
Should you always play "Eye of the Tiger" when you want people to be motivated? It seems like every high-school basketball team has this song integrated into their warm-up tracks and apparently we all seem to remember the underdog story of Rocky Balboa whenever the song is played. So, does HEARING "Eye of the Tiger" create a passion to be great despite the odds? Could this song be used to motivate us here in the U.S. to rise above these challenging economic times and achieve greatness? Maybe some company will come out with an "Eye of the Tiger" campaign and get us all pumped up to buy something again. We will have to wait and see.

Touching:
What about touch? My wife loves to buy clothing that is soft. If you have soft clothing at decent prices, my wife is the consumer for you. I'm not kidding. Everything we recently bought for our 5-month old was chosen on softness, not BRAND! So, I wander if other people ignore brands and buy things based on how they feel. Would someone buy a fully loaded Hyundai if it felt more comfortable than a Lexus?

Seeing:
"Seeing is believing." How do colors make us think in terms of making decisions? Our CMO, Catherine Poole, is an expert color consultant who speaks on behalf of paint brands like Freshaire Products. Catherine has implemented complete branding campaigns based on color, not words. Yes, that's right. Eliminate the little logo with your company's name on it, and focus everything on the emotions of color. Sound crazy? It doesn't seem so crazy when you see rip-off t-shirts using Budweiser's crown to promote their company. These rip-off companies know that you will think of Budweiser being "King" and hopefully associate them as being superior as well.

I have left out taste and smell, but will talk about these other two senses during my next blog. Be blessed in all you do and remember, "You've got the, eye of the tiger, the thrill of the fight..."

Chris Teague, The WIN Firm
www.thewinfirm.com