My vote is Pinterest. The adoption curve been as steep as any social app. Pinterest hit over 10 million U.S. monthly unique visitors faster that any independent site in history according to comScore. The buzz around Pinterest has been growing for months and naturally brands are finding their way into the site looking for opportunities. The community on Pinterest is overwhelmingly female, still well over 90% by some estimates. That, as you can imagine has some brands literally licking their chops to get at that influencer/buyer audience.

What is driving this meteoric user growth? It seems like there are several factors at work here. First and foremost is the effect of all our social connections through Facebook. We have become followers in so many ways, driven to move with the social herd towards the latest cool thing. Of course the issue of style also plays heavily in Pinterest’s growth. It started as a place to pin up things that were visually appealing – designers and aesthetes of all kinds quickly embraced the means to create a digital swatch book/inspiration board. But the site quickly expanded areas of interest to include books, food, humor, sports and more. The categories are almost limitless in what they can encompass. You can find recipes, school lesson plans, erotic pictures, silly pet photos and just about anything else you can imagine.

So then what exactly is Pinterest becoming? Perhaps Pinterest has in fact become a amalgamated Freudian id – a random assortment of the stuff that tells the story of us. Which is not really a story at all, but a glimpse inside our collective psyches. Just like the cork bulletin boards of the past (ok, some of us still have them) it’s the little bits and pieces that engage us or inspire us or make us laugh. We pin them up and then we mostly forget them. But with Pinterest, they are not forgotten. They live on in a perpetual scrolling gallery for anyone to see and also connect with. In this way our choices, our whims, our desires are revealed and brands have the context in which to insert a message, an image or some little bit to get inside our heads.

I pin, therefore I am. This constant self-defining self-expression is the foundation of the social media revolution. It’s hard to imagine that Pinterest won’t ultimately reap the reward of being the app that shows us, and the companies that want to market to us, what’s on the old bulletin board.

As marketers, we’re pretty good at understanding some of the “whys.” We can list features or benefits that help us explain why someone should buy a product. We usually know why we’re going after a particular audience, whether it is because they control the budget or because they influence decisions. But those are the “why” of the marketer—not the target.

The “why” I’m talking about is the one that explains behavior. Why are they not buying? Why are they not aware? Why are they doing what they’re doing?  Finding the answer to this “why” is seldom about asking one question. You have to know when to keep digging, because the first answer probably isn’t the meaningful “why.”

To be fair, lots of good advertising is built on the “why.” (After all, that’s what account planners do) But especially in the business-to-business marketing world—where budgets are often small and metrics are everything—I’ve found that the “why” gets ignored.  And in the absence of the “why” it is easy to fall in to the trap of trying to fit every possible message in every piece.

There are a lot of reasons why the “why” gets ignored, but probably the two biggest are lack of budget and lack of time. Doing research with your audience is the best way to get to the “why.” But in the absence of customer research, find other ways to get there. Talk with the sales organization. Brainstorm with anyone on the team who has direct customer contact. Call a half dozen customers or prospects and ask them yourself. But no matter how you do it, it is worth your time to dig for that “why” that is going to change behavior. Don’t settle for the easy answer, and don’t assume that you’re going to get good creative without it.

So what can “why” get you?

1. It forces you to examine causes—not just outcomes. Knowing why behavior exists is every bit as important as knowing what you want to have happen.
2. It helps you challenge preconceptions. Sometimes a surface answer that everyone assumes to be true can hide the truth.
3. It makes you think outside the box. When you start asking why, you can uncover root causes that may force you to alter your marketing strategy and try new things.
4. It helps you simplify your message. If you understand the “why”—really understand it—you can say much more with a lot fewer words.

Next time you’ve got a project to kick off, start asking why. And keep on asking. Yeah, you might irritate some of your coworkers. But in the end, if you keep on digging until you find the right “why,” you’ll end up with better marketing!

The SicolaMartin intern program is just about as old as the 27-year-old company, itself. It’s an established, respected program, with highly-defined metrics for preparing students to go get that first professional job when they leave Mars. Our goal is to get our interns job-ready through mid-term and year-end evaluations with their mentor, a group project that pushes them to work together and learn how to take it when the client pushes back, and weekly intern seminars presented by each department in the agency, just to name a few. People in the biz see “SicolaMartin Intern” on students’ resumes and they know they’ve been doing actual, billable work instead of filing last year’s budgets in a dark room with no A/C.

Now, sure, the success-driven, businessy things are what make our program effective in getting interns hired by the top advertising agencies in the country (did we mention that 1/3 of our agency is former interns?) But the thing that makes our program FUN is the fact that Martians know how to relax. We’re familial, inclusive, nurturing—we love to reminisce years past and dream big for the years ahead over cold beers, belly laughs, and queso. Always queso.

Martians have happy hours for lots of occasions, but this past week, what we hope to become a new tradition emerged: The “Return to Mars” Happy Hour for ex-interns, mentors, and newly hired summer interns. Held on the rooftop of our building, it was a definite success. Interns from the early 90’s, early 2000’s, and, understandably most densely represented, the past 2-3 years came and picked up conversations and friendships right where they left off. Old interns met their new replacements, new interns got warmly accepted and quickly indoctrinated into the Martian Way, post-grad new hires discussed the ups and downs of gainful employment, and at one point, two ex-interns from different semesters realized they were both now working at the same company on different accounts. On that night, as we watched the sun set on the Texas Capitol, the big world of advertising got a bit smaller—and we finished off a keg of Shiner at the same time.

I’ll end with this: the thing that struck me the most was how fondly ex-interns talked about their time on Mars. How appreciative they were of the training they received and the genuine, lasting friendships they were able to make with not just other interns, but with other Martians. I got many emails from people living in other states or who were traveling abroad who couldn’t make it telling me how sad they were to miss out on the reunion and to, “say hi to so and so.” That type of emotional response to a run of the mill Facebook happy hour invite is notably different. That is not the norm. That kind of “I’m sincerely sad to be missing out” response is the product of a culture that values people for who they are far beyond the work they do.

So here’s to you, interns of yesterday, today, and tomorrow: thank you for the work you did and will do here. Go far, go big, and we’ll see you the next time you Return to Mars!

Ok, the fact is that the use of images of deceased performers interacting with stars of today is not new. This approach has been used to sell product, draw a tear and liven up (pun intended) award shows for a while now. So what makes this different?

To me, the difference is a pure lack of sentimentality, which seems to accompany most of these kinds of efforts to resurrect a lost icon. This performance at Coachella was by all accounts the vision of rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who recognizes that Tupac is as relevant for the audiences of Coachella as he was to young people more than 15 years ago. (Tupac Shakur died in 1996) There is not one bit of nostalgia in the integration of Tupac into the performance with Snoop Dogg. It is purely about now. The discussion has moved beyond a one-time stunt to the question of whether Tupac, or rather his hologram, will go on tour.

Once again the digital technologies take us to new place. Digital Domain, best known for it’s work in films, accomplished the feat that allowed a new generation to experience Tupac “live”. (See the video and read a great interview with Ed Ulrich, Chief Creative Officer at Digital Domain at Creativity Online )

So it begs the question: just because it’s possible, is it ok? The likenesses of departed celebrities are a pure currency that provides support to the families and friends left behind. And why shouldn’t those loved ones benefit? But where is the line that crosses into exploitation? Who is keeping a dream and art alive and who is a virtual grave robber? The technology can take us back and forth across the realm of possibility versus perversion when comes to using these images for marketing and advertising. I hope we land in the right place.

It’s hard to describe how the atmosphere changes in Austin as SXSW gets under way. But it is something alchemical. I have lived in Austin for 14 years, almost 10 of which have been spent in the technology marketing space here at SicolaMartin. And as Austin has changed, so has South-by. Or maybe it’s vice versa.

I first attended SXSW Interactive in 1997 and it was, well, different. A lot of gaming geeks, educators, and a few companies that saw the potential of developing multimedia on CD-ROMs. The was no internet as we know, only world wide web access through the likes of AOL and CompuServe with a blazing 300 baud modem over a telephone line. Not hip, but cool if you were into that sort of thing. No boldface names, no big brands, no Super Bowl-esque promotional stunts. Just a bunch of creative nerds glimpsing into the future.

Cut to 2012. You don’t need me to tell you that SXSW has become THE conference for launching start-ups in the tech space, especially in the mobile/social/apps arena. That SXSW has music headliners and film premieres that attract entertainment A-listers. That the big brands (and their agency partners) are here looking for the next big things trending for young consumers with respect to their digital lives. It has truly become a larger-than-life digital circus. But hopefully still with a bit of Austin style.

There is a palpable energy that seems to rise right out of the ground. Things are transformed: parking lots become “pop-up” parks, empty storefronts become dance clubs, busy streets become wide promenades. Food trucks are everywhere. Live music is being played everywhere, like in 7-Elevens and shoe stores. And college kids, tech geeks, movie stars, hipsters, musicians, marketing execs and just plain folk all fall together to make one big crazy gumbo that has come to define my city and my work in a way I could not have predicted in 1997.

And so it begins.

SXSW Transformation from parking lot to park

Over the past few decades, both academics and practitioners have spent time focusing on the issue of corporate culture and whether a company’s culture does, in fact, impact its overall performance and effectiveness. In 1983, a study of organizational change called The Change Masters, Innovation for Productivity in the American Corporation demonstrated how companies with progressive HR management practices outperformed those with less progressive practices. In 1984, using survey-based measures, another study by the name of Corporate Culture and Organizational Effectiveness showed that apparent involvement and participation on the part of a company’s employees predicted current and future financial performance. And then in 2005, a book entitled The Future of Human Resource Management noted, based on research, that culture not only drives behavior and unites employees but that 46% of a business’ financial performance results from corporate culture. That’s impressive. Your leadership will think so, too. Show them this isn’t just feel-good stuff. More and more companies are starting to believe it. And why wouldn’t they? Look at this graph from a 2009 Towers Perrin study. It shows clearly that companies that scored high in employee engagement had greater financial success.

In 2011, research out of the UK reported 96% of employers interviewed would hire someone who did not have a complete set of skills but displayed the right attitude over an applicant with the perfect skills but who lacked the right mindset. That’s a corporate attitude I can get behind.

Ron Finklestein is an author and business coach and I recently came across this quote of his that I think sums up this post nicely.

“When you take the time to define and create your corporate culture, you are telling others what kinds of people will flourish in your company; it tells the market the companies you want to do business with, and it defines the behaviors that will be accepted in your organization.”

I’ll go one step further and say it creates enthusiasts, from both within your company and in the marketplace.

And that, my friends, is win-win.

First, I’m a big fan of just putting it out there. Be authentic. Through all of your recruitment efforts speak about not only the skill requirements, but also the qualities needed for success at your organization. Be honest about expectations from the beginning. Tell your company story. More importantly, have other employees—other company enthusiasts—tell the story for you. Give candidates the opportunity to interview you. Let them talk with others on their potential team or department. Make this part of your recruitment process. Our economy has not yet fully recovered, but it is recovering—and talent placement and retention is going to become more competitive. As such, you need to take every advantage. Genuinely being able to set your organization apart based on your culture is a huge plus. Beyond just getting the hire, you’re setting this employee up for greater success in the long-run because you’ve kept the organization in its entirety in mind. Again, you’re hiring in addition to a specific skill set. You’re also looking to make a culture match.

From the beginning, we talk about Mars and Martians. We talk about summer days and being a best place to work. We give tours to candidates and let them meet lots of people. We may take them to lunch. We may meet for drinks. It does take time. And it is an investment, but it can pay off. We have an average tenure of 7.5 years. The average in our industry is a little less than two. Two years is all most in our field get out of talent. I want us to be an exception. We are an exception. We have an attrition rate of less than 5%. This comes from my strategic goal of making SicolaMartin a career destination for really smart, really creative people. And I tell everyone who comes on board that is a commitment I’m making.

The next step in creating culture enthusiasts is to onboard all new employees with a consistent company message. We go through a two-day orientation. Not training… training comes from the departments and teams and that goes on quite a bit longer than two days. But we specifically orient for two days. All teams, all managers know they don’t get their employee until orientation is complete. Included in this process, of course, is all of the paperwork, policy overview and benefit information that HR has to do. But that’s not the meat of it. What’s more important is that we take every new hire through the “great 8”. It’s an eight-slide presentation that sets the foundation for “making the complex compelling.” It’s a capabilities presentation, one that we would give to new clients, and now every Martian on day one can tell that story. We go through the history of SicolaMartin. We talk about our leadership and our departmental organization. We define our recognition programs, get them enthusiastic about receiving an award and let them know how to nominate their co-workers. We talk about our communication channels—like our blog, our twitter and FB feeds, our intranet, staff and department meetings. We discuss schedules and expectations. We review the performance planning process. And every new hire sits down with our Leadership Team. They sit down with representatives of every department. Every department. Because every agency, every company’s process is a bit different and we want to educate from day one on how we operate. There are several benefits to this: 1) we’re setting the employee up for success. They are going to know how to do their job. 2) Because of that, there aren’t any excuses. Sure, there’s a learning curve, but we’re decreasing it exponentially. 3)By placing current employees in the position of representing SicolaMartin, and specifically their department, to new hires, they are organically becoming company enthusiasts. Yes, you have to keep your company in mind and, granted, you may have to scale this, but it can work. Think about how this type of submersion orientation may benefit your company.

Ok, so you’ve hired with your culture in mind and you’ve fully saturated them with your company story, now comes the follow though. You have to do all the things you’ve promised. You have to be who you said you are. Education is going to be crucial. Continued training through the department, ongoing performance conversations with managers, outside development opportunities to build skill sets. And theseare important, not just for those recently hired, but for all employees. I would argue they’re even more critical for those that have been with the company for an extended time. Don’t lose sight of your super stars. Don’t get complacent. If you are enthusiastic about them, they will continue to be enthusiastic about you.

I know you all can agree with me that this is good practice. But will all of your management teams agree with me? And that’s the trick, I know. Getting your leadership on board with these practices. Tomorrow, I’ll conclude with some statistics that may surprise you and help you impress your boss.

So, how do we go about instilling enthusiasm for our brand within our workforce?

Let’s look at what enthusiasm is: 1) a lively interest 2) something inspiring zeal or fervor 3) strong excitement of feeling.

Can you imagine if all your employees had zeal for your organization? Not just for their specific job—although job satisfaction plays into this. But real fervor and excitement for your company. For your mission. For your story. Just think about what could be accomplished if employees became an advocate of your brand.

It’s truly win-win. Employees are happy, productive and committed, which leads to great success for the corporation.

So, how do you get there? First things first, you have to have something people can get excited about. There has to be something they can rally around. Maybe it’s your product that drives it. Maybe it’s your leader. Maybe it’s a service you provide. Those specifics can vary. But all of those things go into making up the culture. And that, we all have. Whether it be good, bad or stagnant. Your company culture is there. In the most simplistic of terms, the culture is simply the personality of the organization.

The cultural core of a company is composed of the beliefs, values, standards, worldviews, moods, and communication of the people that are part of the group. These are the invisible manifestations of culture. They are the really powerful stuff. Some of the tangibles, or visible manifestations, that your culture may help define are the dress code, the work environment, the benefits and perks and so on.

Take a moment and think about your organization. What are the intangibles? The tangibles?

My judgment would be that if you immediately had several responses come to mind, that were positive, then you have a pretty healthy culture. You’re in a good spot to continue building. If you had to struggle a bit, think a little bit harder, then a culture exploration might be a good initiative for you and your leaders to work through. I’ve blogged on that before.

Once you identify your culture components, how do you make sure those on staff are aware? Because even though something exists, that does not mean that people are actively aware of it—engaged and enthusiastic.

The first step is this exercise. Putting concrete definition around your organization’s culture. It can be pulled from internal attributes or taken from the public mission of the company, or both. Again, this is examined more closely in my blog. I also know you can find other resources to help in this process. Our culture at SicolaMartin certainly represents both—internal and external components. Every single employee will tell you that we make the complex compelling. That’s our positioning statement. But they’ll also talk about the Flying Saucer, the Ninja Awards, the 3 I’d Martian, our core values of respect and honesty, monthly staff meetings, the People Team and the fact that our President kicked everyone else’s ass in Wii Olympics.

You want to make sure that whatever your culture is, you have people on board who will embrace it. This concept has to be a key point of strategy in recruiting, onboarding and throughout career development.

I utilize three key opportunities for culture installation. Simply put, be authentic, be consistent and follow through. We’ll dive deeper into how to make each of these work for you tomorrow. Stay tuned.

There is an obvious and immediate value to CES for marketers: We can ill afford to ignore consumer electronics as an avenue for reaching our targets. Couple that with the growing number of products and brands that directly or indirectly fall under the “consumer electronics” umbrella. I mean, seriously—you can buy an Internet-enabled refrigerator (I first saw one in the Samsung booth at CES several years ago). A niche product, and a limited customer base to be sure—but smartphones were niche devices just a few years ago. What are the implications of more and more connected Internet-ready devices? We get exposed to new ways of reaching our audiences, at increasingly relevant moments.

And let’s not forget the impact that consumer electronics are having on business computing. Consumer tech has been influencing B2B technology for a while now. It is no coincidence that the explosion of connected devices—allowing access to everything from everywhere—mirrors the emergence of Cloud computing as both a dominant buzz term and an increasingly significant architectural paradigm. The expectations that are being set among consumer audiences are a driving force in enterprise IT. Not to mention the fact that B2B marketers must consider consumer devices as plausible ways to reach our B2B targets.

But as a marketer, the gizmos themselves are only part of why I find CES fascinating. I’m a messaging guy—I like words. CES is a great place to see not just what manufacturers are talking about—but *how* they talk about it. This is particularly interesting in any technology-based industry, given the speed with which products become commoditized. I love to see how marketers try (sometimes successfully, sometimes less so) to differentiate their products.

I also like to pay attention to the catch phrases and buzz words that are being used (or over-used). If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we marketers must really like to flatter each other. As soon as a particular phrase becomes popular, you see it everywhere. So I’ll be looking for that as well, as much to see what to avoid as anything else.

Will CES 2012 be more of the same (both products and marketing), or will we really see some revolutionary thinking? I suppose I’ll know by Friday of next week.

Online advertising spending is expected to reach approximately $36B in the U.S. alone in 2012 according to eMarketer. But is all that ad spend getting to the right people? I cannot stop the ads for software that I’ve already bought coming up on multiple sites I visit every day. And I am pretty darn sure that this software company does not have the media budget to pay for all those placements on prominent media sites. So what’s going on?

Some people out there are wasting my time and your money by serving up ads that don’t make sense. Unless, of course, your mind works like a computer.

When we surf the web, we don’t always act logically. The reality is that no algorithm in ad-serving software completely takes the place of an intelligent and savvy media planner, armed with knowledge and understanding of the audience they are reaching, not just how that audience is expected to behave. Technology should serve us in pursuit of our goals and not the other way around.

Our particular agency is focused on this as we launch a global technology practice. It’s all about understanding the uses and benefits of technologies and applying them creatively. Art and science, not technology for technology’s sake.

It’s our business to get ads to the right person at the right time with the right message. Our clients expect us to use the best tools we can to be efficient and effective. And there are great tools out there that help us do just that. But once again I am reminded that the human touch is still the key to delivering results in a technology-enabled media landscape. Now excuse me while I check out how to get rid of that stubborn belly fat.

David Sable, Global CEO of Y&R, announced today that Y&R is launching a new global technology marketing practice named Tech.YR. By aligning seven Y&R companies that focus on technology and telecommunications — Banner in London, SicolaMartin in Texas, Y&R Business Communications Geneva, Y&R Singapore, Y&R Beijing, Y&R Brazil, as well as VML in multiple markets, Tech.Y&R will provide an integrated global network to its clients.

The agencies all have extensive experience working with globally recognized technology companies. They share the same philosophy and rigorous methodologies to communicate simply and persuasively about complex products and services to both consumer and business audiences. The network will offer its clients media planning and buying, search, social and mobile, as well as the development of online and offline campaigns. Tech.YR will draw from VML’s resources to deliver digital marketing solutions across the globe.

Marcus Brown, who will remain the CEO of Y&R’s operations in Geneva, will lead the practice as its Managing Partner. Banner CEO Michael Wrigley, and Cherie Cox, CEO of SicolaMartin will each serve as Partners. Each of the agencies will remain independent but will come together around shared clients.
“Tech.Y&R allows any client with a technological, telecom or otherwise complex offering a unique and proven global network. We are offering them a global partner who understands how to turn complexities into compelling marketing. Beyond accountability and measurable value across multiple markets, which of course this brings, it is also about letting our clients tap into great resources and people around the world who have highly specialized experience in this sector,” said David Sable.

Tech.YR begins with a strong client base. Adobe and Dell are serviced in multiple locations and Symantec, Autodesk, LG, AMD and BMC Software are serviced by individual offices. The practice is built on a strong heritage of jointly servicing technology clients including Novell, Freescale, SITA, ITU and Blue Coat.

Paula Simchak has been promoted to Creative Director. Formerly Associate Creative Director/Sr. Writer, Simchak has been with SicolaMartin for 10+ years, working on a variety of accounts, such as AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, St. David’s HealthCare, and more. Prior to joining SicolaMartin, Simchak was VP/Associate Creative Director at Lowe Lintas & Partners in New York City.

Meredith Cuevas has been promoted to Account Supervisor on the Dell and Sybase accounts. Formerly a Sr. Account Manager, Cuevas has been with the agency for three years. A San Antonio native, she joined SicolaMartin after almost four years as Campaign Manager at The Advertising Council in Washington, D.C.

Kim Bissell has been promoted to Sr. Account Manager on the Dell and Sybase accounts. A six-year agency veteran, and native of San Antonio, Bissell began her career at SicolaMartin as an intern, while attending the University of Texas.

Katherine Seaberg has been promoted to Sr. Account Manager on the AMD, CoreLogic and St. David’s HealthCare accounts. A native of Virginia, Seaberg began working at SicolaMartin as an intern, while attending graduate school at the University of Texas. She has been with SicolaMartin for five years.

Lastly, Laney Catledge has been promoted to Sr. Client Accountant. A native of Mississippi and 10-year SicolaMartin employee, Catledge manages all billing and works with client teams to ensure profitability and provides counsel for client teams, regarding financial issues.

About SicolaMartin
Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands.

Best Online Technology Video was awarded to the “Dell s300wi Interactive Projector” video. A sales video targeting IT decision-makers in the K-12 education market, it was produced for Dell’s software and peripherals division to share the benefits and features that this new Dell product has to offer. Winning Outstanding Online Video was the Dell “Take Your Own Path” video. Targeting inactive and prospective customers of Dell PartnerDirect Partners, the video positions Dell resellers as critical partners to help small businesses grow, thrive and take their own path.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for our work with Dell,” stated Diane McKinnon, EVP, Executive Creative Director at SicolaMartin. “The Dell s300wi Interactive Projector video helped launch a great product by making it relevant for targets in the education industry—and the ‘Take Your Own Path’ video is a great tool to help Dell partners reach more of their customers.”

View the videos here:

http://www.sicolamartin.com/portfolio/motion/motion-online/dell-s300wi-projector/

http://www.sicolamartin.com/portfolio/motion/dell-take-your-own-path-video/

About SicolaMartin
Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 25 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com.

Jason McQueen has been hired as Director of Media Services. McQueen joins SicolaMartin after spending three years as Vice President, Media Director of Virilion—where he helped clients leverage new media technologies to reach their desired audiences.

Aaron Orner has been hired as Director of Digital Strategy. Prior to joining SicolaMartin, Orner was an independent online marketing consultant, helping companies improve their online marketing communications. Before his consulting role, Orner acted as Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Orner, Sproat, Zimmerman.

Nik Bristow has been hired as Sr. Copywriter. A graduate of the Portfolio Center, Bristow spent the last eight years working in Atlanta at the Austin Kelley and Fitzgerald+Co agencies on clients such as Coca-Cola, Six Flags, TVA, RaceTrac and Bio Willie, to name a few. He has also blogged for AutoBlog Green.

Andrea Ehringer joins the account service department as Senior Account Manager on the AMD, CoreLogic and St. David’s HealthCare accounts. Prior to joining SicolaMartin, Ehringer was at Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg, Florida where she worked in the marketing department as an account manager.

Crystal Cook has been hired as Executive Assistant to the President, helping with business development. Prior to her new role within SicolaMartin, Cook worked in account service on the AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, Intertek and St. David’s HealthCare accounts.

Sonia Chaphekar joins the account service department as Account Manager on the Dell account. Prior to joining SicolaMartin, Chaphekar was at Sanders\Wingo for three years, working on the AT&T account. An Austin native, Chaphekar is a graduate of Texas State University.

Freddie Munoz joins the media department as Media Manager. A graduate of Cal State Fullerton, Munoz spent four years as a media planner with MindShare on the Land Rover account prior to joining the SicolaMartin team.

Jeremy Ballard joins the media department as Media and Traffic Coordinator. Prior to joining the SicolaMartin team, Ballard worked in the operations department of LibreDigital, an Austin-based digital publisher. A Dallas native, Ballard has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Texas State University.

Flip Villela has been hired as Assistant Art Director on the Dell and McLane accounts. A Dallas native, Villela has a degree in studio art from the University of Texas and studied graphic design at Austin Community College.

Dave Johannes joins the interactive department as Junior Developer. Previously a designer/developer for the Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services group at the University of Texas, Johannes launched several new sites for departments on campus.

Stella Alvarez joins the account service department as Assistant Account Manager on the Dell and Sybase accounts. An advertising graduate of the University of Texas, Alvarez comes to us from Univision Radio Austin, where she was the National Account Coordinator.

Lastly, Kim Baze joins the account service department as Assistant Account Manager on the AMD, CoreLogic and St. David’s HealthCare accounts. A graduate of Texas State University with a degree in advertising, Baze began her career at Motion Computing before finding her way to SicolaMartin.

About SicolaMartin
Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com.

Austin-based advertising and marketing agency, SicolaMartin, recently announced a new lineup within the agency’s leadership team. The 50-person agency, a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, represents businesses in the technology, B2B and consumer categories including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane, St. David’s HealthCare and Sybase.

The reorganization includes the promotion of five senior staffers, Nancy George, Kimberly Granberry, Mark Norton, Nada Saidi Smith and Alan Vassberg. All have been named vice president, retaining many elements of their previous organizational responsibilities, while also expanding their roles within the agency.

Nancy George has been promoted to Vice President, Client Services. In addition to her new role in overseeing client and agency interaction, George will maintain her position as Account Director on key anchor accounts. An advertising and marketing veteran with over 20 years of experience on corporate, high-tech, healthcare, entertainment, retail, fast food, industrial, consumer and packaged goods accounts, George plays a vital role in the ongoing relationships between SicolaMartin and its many clients.

Kimberly Granberry has been promoted to Vice President, Finance. A SicolaMartin employee for over 10 years, Granberry oversees all aspects of the agency’s financial operations, developing, implementing and enforcing policies and procedures that improve the overall operation, effectiveness and financial condition of the agency.

Mark Norton has been promoted to Vice President, Creative Strategy and Development. With almost 17 years at SicolaMartin writing creative and copy platforms, Norton has built brands and worked effectively in all forms of traditional media and the latest social and non-traditional channels. Along with his increased responsibilities and new business efforts, Norton will continue as lead writer for a variety of SicolaMartin clients.

Nada Saidi Smith has been promoted to Vice President, Account Operations. In addition to her existing role as Account Director on the McLane and LifeSize accounts, Saidi Smith’s new responsibilities include development of organization policies and processes that cover account operations, personnel and financial performance. A seasoned agency veteran, Saidi Smith has been with SicolaMartin for 19 years.

Lastly, Alan Vassberg has been promoted to Vice President, Communications Planning. With 13 years of industry experience—six as the agency’s previous Marketing Services Director—Vassberg’s new role at SicolaMartin will have him coordinating and maximizing the media, research, account service and creative departments to achieve client goals via the most effective agency initiatives possible.

“Over the past 25 years the agency has developed some incredible talent and stellar leaders,” stated Cherie Cox, President. “These five individuals are helping shape the future of SicolaMartin. Diane and I are proud of all they’ve done, and in their new roles we know there’s no limit to what they can accomplish.”

About SicolaMartin
Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com.

(April 15, 2011) Austin-based advertising and marketing agency, SicolaMartin, was recently named #13 on the list of top small employers in the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of Texas Monthly, the Texas Association of Business (TAB), the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (TSC-SHRM) and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Texas, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. The Best Companies to Work for in Texas 2011 list is made up of 100 companies.

“What makes us so unique? Turning marketing complexities into compelling ideas is what we do,” stated Cherie Cox, President of SicolaMartin. “And while we take our work very seriously, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We have Summer Fridays, Flying Saucer Awards and Office Olympics. We strive for a healthy environment where people can balance both their work and their family commitments. We also feel strongly about giving back to the community in which we work and live.”

With an average employee tenure of 7 years, SicolaMartin has a unique culture that sets it apart from most other advertising agencies. It begins with five core values—honesty, respect, passion, fun and accountability—that are upheld by each and every employee. And because SicolaMartin looks for clients with similar values, the result is an environment of ongoing business relationships built on a strong foundation.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Texas and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.

For more information on the Best Companies to Work for in Texas program, visit www.BestCompaniesTX.com.

About SicolaMartin

Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, McLane and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com.

I read an article recently about a study that says 80% of children under the age of five use the Internet weekly. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, that’s crazy, right? Toddlers aren’t on the computer. They’re learning how to walk and talk. Using their imagination and fighting over toys. Playing outside and taking naps inside. I should know – I have a 5 year-old son and 3 year-old daughter.

Then it hits me. I have a 5 year-old son and 3 year-old daughter who both know how to stream movies through Netflix, can search YouTube videos on dad’s iPhone, and play games online. Not to mention their app usage on the iPad. Which I still think is crazy! But it seems it’s the new reality. Of course Internet usage isn’t their only activity. They do all the playing and running and jumping and bickering of your average child, but they are also very tech savvy without even knowing what tech savvy means. With them, technology is not a thing you have to learn, it’s just what is. And it’s easy. Back when he was one, we put some videos on YouTube of my son easily interfacing with the first generation iPhone. And while we posted them so our family could see, the videos now have more than a half-million views and were recently picked up by Yahoo for a “Tech for Tots” segment. You can see my cutie at the 1:02 mark. And although a part of me gets a little freaked about that many people checking out my son, my pride demands I tell you all about it! I admit there’s a duality of thought going on.

And so, OK, I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked at the statistic – 80% of young kids online. Mine are certainly in that percentage. As are the children of the majority of my co-workers. An informal poll produced 87% of our young Martians being online prior to year five.

But there’s still a piece of me that wants to resist this reality. I’m not sure why. What about you? Are your kids participating online? Do you encourage it or reluctantly agree? How do you feel about marketers possibly using this data to sell stuff to your children? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

AUSTIN, TX, March 9, 2011– SicolaMartin, Austin-based marketing and advertising agency, announced today that they will be hosting a pre-SXSW event on March 11 at their Austin offices at 206 E. 9th Street, Suite 1800.

The festivities will begin at 12:30pm with a casual lunch accompanied by live music courtesy of Elaine Greer, indie-folk pop singer-songwriter from Houston.

Following Ms. Greer’s performance will be an informative hour with special guest and upcoming SXSW Interactive speaker, John Gerzema. Executive Chairman of Y&R’s BrandAsset Consulting, Mr. Gerzema will be speaking on his best-selling book “Spend Shift: How the Post-Crisis Values Revolution Is Changing the Way We Buy, Sell, and Live”. He’ll share his insights gleaned from the use of data to identify social change—insights that can help companies anticipate and adapt to new customer interests and demands.

In addition, signed copies of Mr. Gerzema’s book will be given away as door prizes.

According to SicolaMartin EVP Executive Creative Director, Diane McKinnon, “We are thrilled to host John Gerzema, part of our Y&R family, for this informative speaking engagement. His insights on the new post-recession consumer behavior are fun and fascinating, which is why John has a coveted spot as a panelist at this year’s SXSW Interactive show.”

Those interested in attending the event are encouraged to register at http://www.sicolamartin.com/sxsw

For more information about Elaine Greer, visit http://www.elainegreer.com/

More information about John Gerzema is available at http://www.johngerzema.com/index.php/about/

About SicolaMartin

Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, health care, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, Blu-ray Disc, McLane, SAP, Sybase and Dell have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. For the past five years, SicolaMartin has been voted one of Best Companies to Work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com.

Austin, TX, February 16, 2011 – SicolaMartin, a leader in technology and business-to-business advertising and marketing, has won recognition in two awards competitions. The agency took gold in the Austin Advertising Federation Addys awards, and took two Gold and two Silver Davey awards. The Austin Addys honor creative work from students and agencies in the Austin area. The Davey Awards honor creative excellence in small agencies and companies worldwide.

The Addy Gold was awarded to SicolaMartin for its brand identity, developed in 2010, in the Self Promotion, Stationery category. The agency received Gold Davey awards for two projects for Dell, both in the online film/video category. The first, a video promoting the Dell s300wi interactive projector, was created for the K-12 education market, and featured a clever student speaking about the benefits of the product. The second Gold Davey winner was a series of two-minute informational videos called the “Dell Tech Two” that helped provide simple and relevant information to Dell partners on topics such as virtualization.

Dell s3000WI Projector Video		Dell Tech Two Video Series

The agency also received Silver Davey awards for its integrated marketing campaign for CoreLogic, a leading data services and analytics provider, as well as for the agency’s new brand identity.

CoreLogic Integrated Campaign		SicolaMartin Brand Identity

“We are really pleased to be recognized for our great creative work and the rebranding of our agency” said Cherie Cox, president of SicolaMartin. “These awards are the result of great collaboration with our clients and the efforts of extremely talented individuals in our agency.”

###

Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, CoreLogic, Dell, Blu-ray Disc, McLane, SAP and Sybase have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. For the past six years, SicolaMartin has been voted one of Best Companies to Work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine and was named as one of Advertising Age’s 2010 Best Places to Work in Marketing and Media. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com .

Gain Good'er Morning

OK, Gain. I’ve got a bone to pick with you.

I’m a Tide girl. I’ve always been a Tide girl. Since the day my mom said, “You’re old enough to do your own laundry. But here’s a hint. Separate the darks and the lights. Red in their own pile.” I’m not sure why, but laundry detergent has always been one of the few products in which I am brand loyal (seeing as how the others are dishwasher detergent, toothpaste and toilet paper, it must be a hygiene thing).

Back to my point. I’ve often heard people talk about Gain. “I’ve always used it!” “I use nothing else.” “It reminds me of my childhood.” And, until recently, I just ignored what they had to say. After all, I was a Tide girl. Fast forward to two weeks ago. I was in the grocery store, getting ready to purchase my Tide. And I spotted the Gain. It was on sale. Like, really on sale. Like, much, much cheaper than Tide on sale.

Anyways, I decided, “What the heck? It will only last a month or two. I’m going to try it.” So I purchased. And, until now, it’s been fine. Granted, it’s a weird, nuclear shade of green, but other than that, no real difference. So much for brand loyalty, huh?

Well, guess what. When I finish this bottle of Gain, I will never purchase another. Never. And when I say NEVER, I mean NEVER. If the president of Proctor & Gamble called me and said, “Congratulations! You’ve won a lifetime supply of Gain!” I’d tell him he can shove it where that cute little sunburst surrounding the Gain logo doesn’t shine.

Why? What did they do to earn such animosity on my part? Such hostility? Such downright hatred?

Four little words:

“Make your morning Good’er.”

Or perhaps I should say three words, because as any five-year old knows, “good’er” is not only NOT a word, it’s a massacre.

I have two children, ages five and seven. They are like little sponges that absorb everything they run across. And let me tell you, having them hear the word “Good’er” used in a nationally aired TV commercial is the last thing their teacher and I need.

As a 20-year marketing professional with degrees in both English and Advertising, I felt more than qualified to write the Gain Corporation and express my dismay. In fact, I was sitting down to do just that, when I came across a blog written by a gentleman who had already undertaken the task. He was kind enough to post Gain’s reply:

“Thanks for your comments and concern. We chose to use the word Good’er for a dramatic effect. This was an attempt to play off of the expression ‘Have a Good Morning’. We believe that families and companies should be doing all they can to promote education. The process of doing laundry can often be a boring, monotonous process. The Gain team is hoping to make this process just a little bit more fun, and this is often demonstrated in the advertising.”

It was signed by Mary, of the Gain Team.

Well, Mary, here’s my response to you. Using the non-word “good’er” in your advertising does not make the process of doing laundry any less boring or monotonous. What it does do is piss me off. Raising literate children is a full-time job. But if we want children to learn to read BETTER, they need literate ADULTS to teach them. And if Gain really believes that they, as a company, are “doing all they can to promote education,” they might want to re-think their advertising efforts.

They could be doing a hell of a lot good’er.

Drum Machine Ring

I’m a huge fan of music and art, probably because they have so many things in common. Whether using pictures, sounds or words, both can create an image, change an attitude or offer inspiration. What’s more, in both genres, it’s really hard to create a big hit—and even harder to create something timeless.

The other day I came across the article “8 Critical Marketing Basics for Musicians” and realized how relevant it was to the advertising industry, as well.

Lesson #1: It’s about THEM, not YOU
Lesson #2: Unsolicited actions will get you nowhere
Lesson #3: No one is coming to save you in the music industry
Lesson #4: Reach people the way you want to be reached
Lesson #5: Sharply define what you do
Lesson #6: DIY does not mean do it all yourself—it means decide it yourself
Lesson #7: Act AS IF…“You are whatever you pretend to be.” – Kurt Vonnegut
Lesson #8: It’s who you know mixed with how you persevere

I would like to add one more to this list: Lesson #9: Be true to yourself

As a marketer, everything you create is designed to talk to someone. To engage, to entertain, to persuade, to educate. That’s why it’s crucial that people believe you and trust what you say. The same holds true when you talk about your own brand.

Last year, SicolaMartin decided to look in the mirror and define who we really are. Not an easy task for any agency to undertake. How did we do it? Like any good creative exercise, we started with good positioning. We looked at what the competition was saying, we conducted employee and client interviews, and we worked our way through countless other exercises. What we discovered was that our agency really liked to solve problems, and that our clients really appreciated the way we understood their complex challenges.

By building on our strengths, we came up with a brand promise that was both authentic and unique. “Turning Marketing Complexity into Compelling Ideas”. Now when people meet us, they understand who we are, right off the bat. When we’re not there in person, our materials convey our promise for us. By linking our clients’ challenges to our agency strengths, we’ve been able to shape our brand into something people can easily understand and believe.

Like any other company, our brand is not a product. It’s the sum total of everything we do. It’s how we interact with clients, vendors, employees and anyone else we come into contact with.

Salesmanship and slick marketing aren’t enough to succeed in business any more. Perhaps that’s why I found the recent TOMS vs. BOBS debate to be so fascinating. It goes to show that you can spend millions of dollars on a campaign, but if people don’t believe what you’re selling them, it’s sure to fail.

In closing, whether your brand likes to bang its head or dance the night away, before you put it out there for the world to see and judge, ask yourself these three questions:
Is it meaningful?
Is it honest?
Is it compelling?

Online Ads

“AdKeeper, an ad-technology company that looks to make Internet advertising as easy to “clip” as magazine ads. Clicking on these allows users to return to the ads later on the AdKeeper Web site”.

The question here should not just be would an internet user actually save banner ads to view later, but what information will be tracked and how will this information be utilized by advertisers and marketers?  Additional questions should be asked about how this fits into the larger picture as well as how can this be translated across both B2C and B2B companies. Overall I think this technology sounds appealing so it will be interesting to see how this will evolve over the coming months and years.

Below are just a few questions we should ask ourselves about this new technology.

-       How will AdKeeper track this for an advertiser so it could potentially be a valuable metric?

-       Would an individual be profiled based on all the ads they have saved?

-       Would an individual’s preferences be shared with each company they saved ads for?

-       Would this technology be able to plug-in with 3^rd party ad servers?

-       Consumer brand companies like Gap, McDonald’s and Best Buy are going to try out this technology, but how does this technology impact B2B advertising or will B2B companies lag behind?

Adweek Article

Sale

Did you know that airline tickets are cheapest on Tuesdays? Or that if you need to buy a swimsuit, you should do it on a Sunday? Or that if you’re considering a new gas grill, it might be worth waiting until winter?

Savings.com’s “When Are the Best Times to Buy” infographic breaks down the ideal days, months, and seasons for making various purchases.

Wired Cover

Interesting article about the difference between users spending time on the Web and spending time on the Internet.

Wired Article

Targeted Ads

What do consumers really think of advertising online? According to a study conducted by Data & Management Counsel Inc. consumers don’t seem to mind ads targeted to their likes, ads with photos, sponsored ads in search results, banners with functionality and the ability to share on Facebook or  e-mail to a friend. In  my opinion, this illustrates the importance of having a variety of tactics for each online campaign.

Adweek Article

Aol.

AOL plans to reinvent the web as a branding environment. The nick-named Project Devil will include new ad units that are more editorial in nature so that it’s hard to tell what is content vs. advertising. This is something that we are seeing more in the media community across the board, but it will be interesting to see where AOL takes this opportunity moving forward.

Adweek Article

Haitian Orphanage

Interesting use of the tweet – celebrities agreeing to meet fans in return for cash contributions to charity programs such as a Haitian orphanage in Bonneau. This auction is running on eBay and so far has raised $215,000. Check out the details.

WSJ Article

Samsung

Samsung does a really good job of creating some innovative viral campaigns using YouTube.

Video #1

Video #2

Paula Scher

Paula Scher has been working for some time on a series of large-scale map paintings and prints. Under the auspices of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art program, which funds artists to create permanent public artworks in municipal buildings and spaces, Scher was commissioned to create the murals for the two schools of the Queens Metropolitan Campus in the city’s Forest Hills area.

Fast Company Article

Creative Review Article

Ad Age

We are excited and honored in being selected as one of the top 30 agencies to work for in the nation. Check out our featured profile. As always, I’m very proud to be a Martian!

SicolaMartin Article

Larger Ad Age Article