On Your Mind?

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

Everyone Looks the Same! What Do I Do?

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

Your Stop for SUCCESS!

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

Following Trends is Lame: Setting Trends ...

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

People are Buying!

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

It's All About YOU!

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

Living with a Cause

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