This is the Domain I have been waiting for. It’s most of what I have been doing the past 40 years. Industrial Marketing Promotional Activity

I started at the drawing board 40 years ago at my Father’s advertising agency. $3.10 per hour. I lived in the basement of a nearby home for $45 per month. I remember the first night I stayed there, the gays above me were having a huge shouting match! I enjoyed sucking Rapidio pens and drawing mining equipment. And slowly made a name for myself because I enjoyed preparing perfect materials for the printer. I still don’t know how the vice president knew I had been up all night working on the boards. Must have been something in my eyes.

I learned everything from client relationships, the friendships, the events and creativity from my Father. They all were important in a people business like advertising. I came in during a depression and we grew a little after that but never regained the glory days of the agency in the 60s. Dad left for the Florida Keys in the 80s and started other businesses. I took over the day to day and to this day I think about him at 5 pm when he used to call after the rates went down.

Dad passed away in 1999. That was the high point of the agency. We almost broke one million in sales. Then 9-11-01 and we were struggling like every other consultant. The economy recovered and seemed to be on fire, it was. I got involved with SMPS on the advise of Pete Strange the president of Messer Construction. I found the chapter very welcoming and volunteered for the board of president Alison Tepe-Guy. I served two terms but then the housing crisis hit. I gave up on growing the agency with building material clients. Until the last couple of years in which I have attended Greenbuild, the premier show for high quality building materials. I’m looking forward to putting to use all the information I have absorbed from trying to pass the exam over the last ten years.

Case Study Activity

This Case Study Activity allows you to reflect on and apply the key concepts that you learned in this Domain to a real-world scenario. Each Domain includes a scenario about the same organization, Gilmore & Associates. The scenario is presented to you, followed by several questions. You can also elect to view the recommended solutions/ responses for each question posed, which are located on the next page. This case study can be studied in many ways:

• You can individually reflect on the questions after reading the scenario, and write your own notes/responses to each question. You can then check your ability to apply the key concepts against the recommended solutions/responses.
• You can pull together a small group and use this scenario to drive a discussion around the challenge and to discuss solutions as a group.We talk about promotional activities every day at our office at Washington Park. That’s what I live and breathe. You get a bit of that sense reading the CMPS Domains. The folks that wrote these know that we’re in a people business. Everything revolves around people. I’m lucky to have  Myke Amend join the company, he’s a shy but gregarious creative. A great writer and an incredible programmer.
• You can combine a selection of the case study activities (across the Domains) into a larger scenario-based activity as a part of a professional development event.

I plan to evaluate each of my clients based on these Domains.  It will help me understand the interrelationships of the Domains and learn how to approach those clients with new ideas to improve their marketing.

Gilmore & Associates’ first year in the new market has been a successful one-with two winning proposals and one completed project, you are ready to get your company’s message out in front of a wider audience. Your CEO wants the firm to become well known for designing state-of-the-art facilities for serving the healthcare needs of older adults.

As the marketing coordinator, you have been given the responsibility of developing a plan to raise awareness of your company in the minds of prospective clients, and to set the stage for establishing your firm as a thought leader in the industry.

This is the problem we get asked everyday. But never get the background information needed to achieve the results. It used to be that we could come up with a clever ad and succeed. No more.

1. Before you engage in promotional activities, you must have a message to deliver. What are the elements involved in the creation of a corporate identity?This isn’t that hard to do. Tying it into a relevant marketing plan normally doesn’t get addressed. or maybe we never got the feedback. I once told a client that feedback was a strategic re-positioning strategy. He disagreed and said it was a tactic and not a strategy. We never did get the market they were going after so had no idea what to present.
2. What activities should be included in the communications plan that your team develops?I’d sure like to get more information for any ad we are asked to develop. Normally it’s an attempt to present the product benefits versus the competition. The core message a sales person should be sure to explain to a prospect. This was a great approach to an advertisement in the past and may still be but nailing the benefit versus being boring is the fun part. Making it memorable is the most important. The most important activities are to educate the sales force on the message to be delivered and present it through events, presentations, meetings, social media and in the office.
3. You’ve decided to create a video to gain your firm more visibility. What should you keep in mind when developing/filming a high-quality multimedia advertisement?Used to be that we got $1,000 per minute to produce a video. Now clients want to do it for $100 a minute. Smart phones are great if you have a good remote mic but you still need a great script and a good spokesperson.
4. Your firm is proud of the project that it recently completed, and would like to give it greater visibility by entering it into an awards competition. What should you consider when searching for an appropriate competition to submit to?The Domain guide gives great guidelines to picking awards. I especially liked the suggested into who won and what the judges want.
5. The first year anniversary of your company’s entry into the new market is coming up, and you want to plan a special event for the occasion. What steps can you take to ensure that the event makes a favorable lasting impression on potential and current clients?
   We made our office LEED Platinum to enter the construction market but no one in the industry cares. It’s only what the client wants. We may be able to work with those sustainable firms as like minded companies but it’s easy for the designers and consultants to be Green. We have received educational work from institutions and hope to grow that. I have worked very hard to be the best educator in the Green Building movement and won’t back down one bit from that position. It’s just an eye opener to realize that it might take 20 years to get out of the “Valley of Death.”

Answer Key

1. Before you engage in promotional activities, you must have a message to deliver. What are the elements involved in the creation of a corporate identity?
   • Conducting primary research to determine how your brand is currently viewed by others (i.e., a perception survey)
   • Determining whether others’ perceptions of your company lines up with the image that you want to project
   • Developing a vision and mission statement that defines your firm’s core purpose
   • Creating an identity map to determine where your firm stands in relation to your competitors in the market
   • Developing a corporate identity program that institutes firm-wide standards regarding naming conventions, graphic design elements and messaging in order to better maintain a consistent brandAll great ideas and the proper way to approach marketing.
2. What activities should be included in the communications plan that your team develops?
   •  Creating strategic objectives that set the priorities and direction for communicating with clients, potential clients, the community and other key audiences. What response are you looking for?
   • Defining your target audience, based on demographic and psycho graphic characteristics.
   • Developing a social media plan that uses inbound marketing to engage with your audience on the appropriate platforms.
   • Developing interesting and creative content that can be used to share knowledge through various social, digital, and analog platforms.
   • Maintaining an integrated website.
   • Selecting which types of ads and sponsorships to engage in (including earned, pay-to-play, and owned platforms).Once again, great guidelines and right on approaches.
3.  You’ve decided to create a video to gain your firm more visibility. What should you keep in mind when developing/filming a high-quality multimedia advertisement?
   • Tell a story, but make sure that it includes only what is essential so that the entire story can be told in a few minutes.
   • Make sure that the quality of the production is consistent with your firm’s overall image.
   • Research the elements of video production and decide what tools you will need to produce the quality that you want. This includes finding a DSLR camera/camcorder with the right specs, deciding what frame rate/resolution it should be able to shoot at, and what type of microphone to use to capture sound.Dead on.
4.  Your firm is proud of the project that it recently completed, and would like to give it greater visibility by entering it into an awards competition. What should you consider when searching for an appropriate competition to submit to?
   • What are your next opportunities for entering an awards competition? Create a system to keep track of awards opportunities, and update it with information gathered by contacting A/E/C associations, reading relevant publications and reaching out to your network.
   • Does your project meet the criteria of that particular awards program?
   • Will winning the award boost your firm’s visibility in your target market/audience?
   • Do you have a good chance of winning the competition? Review the past winners and compare them (objectively) against your own project.We became the Greenest Office in Cincinnati. Nothing happened. Probably not the right type of promotion to identified targets. We did learn that it is the client you have to find. That was harder than we expected and possible to find. We have put into place a grass roots program over the last three years and hope that results in the type of client that doesn’t put energy savings at the top of their list. That’s not the point of environmental sustainability. I was told yesterday that only 5% of office space had converted their incandescent bulbs to LED. My clients and prospects have created multi million dollar businesses doing those conversions. I should be able to help them with better research and planning.
5.  The first year anniversary of your company’s entry into the new market is coming up, and you want to plan a special event for the occasion. What steps can you take to ensure that the event makes a favorable lasting impression on potential and current clients?
   • Clearly define your goals for hosting the event before you begin planning it.
   • Develop a creative concept that represents your firm’s personality and appeals to your target audience.
   • Create a checklist of every activity and task that must be accomplished both before and during the event, along with who is responsible for implementation. Include contingency plans for anything that might go wrong.Great action items.

Contents

1. Develop and Maintain Corporate Identity

1.1 Use Primary Research to Determine Brand Perception and Identity

1.2 Develop a Vision and Mission Statement

1.3 Develop a Unique Value Proposition

1.4 Create an Identity Map

1.4.1 Generalist vs Specialist

1.4.2 Client Driven vs Market Driven

1.4.3 Design vs Execution Focus

1.4.4 Unique vs “Me Too” Player

1.5 Determine Elements of a Corporate Identity Program

1.5.1 Brand Architecture and Naming Conventions

1.5.2 Graphic Design Elements

1.5.3 Messaging

1.6 Create Standards

1.7 KeyTerms

2. Develop and Implement a Communications Plan

2.1 Develop a Communications Plan

2.1.1 Define Your Communications Objectives

2.1.2 Engage Firm Stakeholders

2.1.3 Identify Key Topics

2.1.4 Define Your Target Audience

2.1.5 Create a Set of Communications Initiatives

2.2 Develop a Social Media Plan

2.2.1 Determine Target Audience and Goals for Each Platform

2.2.2 Best Practices for Developing a Plan

2.2.3 Track Progress, Determine Reach/Followers, and Track Return on Investment (ROI) Metrics

2.3 Maintain a Web Presence

2.3.1 Determine Website Strategy

2.3.2 Merging Current Systems with New Site’s Structure

2.3.3 Integration

2.3.4 Benchmark Competitors’ Websites

2.3.5 Monitor and Manage Analytics

2.4 Key Terms

3. Media Relations

3.1 Strategy and Planning

3.2 Maintain a Media List

3.2.1 Research National Publications in Key Market Segments

3.2.2 Local List

3.3 Draft News Releases

3.3.1 Sample News Releases

3.3.2 Assign Responsibility to In-House Staff or an Outside Consultant

3.4 Distribute Approved Release

3.5 Contacting the Media

3.5.1 Follow-Up Protocols

3.6 Publish Newsletter or Journal Articles

3.6.1 Choose a Topic

3.6.2 Getting Published

3.6.3 Determine the Communication Channel

3.7 Train Staff to Interact with Media

3.7.1 Identify Personnel to Interact With the Press

3.7.2 Training

3.8 Key Terms

4. Create Digital Content

4.1 Using Multimedia

4.2 Videos

4.2.1 Video Marketing

4.2.2 Develop a Video Plan

4.2.3 Legal Issues

4.3 Audio Podcasts

4.4 Key Terms

5. Coordinate Photography

5.1 Develop a Plan that Aligns with Marketing, BD, and Strategic Plan Goals

5.2 Identify Budget and Resources

5.2.1 Photographing People

5.2.2 Photographing Projects

5.2.3 Stock Photos

5.3 Elements of a Strong Photo

5.3.1 Taking the Photos Yourself

5.4 Best Practices for Working with Architectural Photographers

5.5 Legal Issues

5.6 Key Terms

6. Prepare Award Competition Entries

6.1 Why Enter?

6.2 Track Award Opportunities

6.3 Determine Likelihood of Winning Award

6.4 Include Visuals

6.5 Include the Voice of the Client in the Award Narrative

6.6 Budget Time and Resources for Editing, Proofing, Etc.

6.7 Key Terms

7. Develop an Advertising Plan

7.1 Establish an Advertising Rational

7.2 Relate Goals and Target Audience to Overall marketing Plan

7.3 Different Types of Ads and Sponsorships

7.3.1 Institutional or Image Advertising 7.3.2 Service Advertising

7.3.3 Tombstone Advertisements

7.3.4 Broadcast Advertising

7.3.5 Advertorials

7.3.6 Social Media Advertising

7.3.7 PBS Underwriting

7.4 Key Terms

8. Plan Trade show Activities and Conference Speaking

8.1 Decide Whether to Participate

8.1.1 Types of Trade shows/Conferences

8.1.2 Align Your Goals with Trade show/Conference Opportunities

8.2 Develop a Budget

8.3 Craft a Plan of Engagement

8.3.1 Choose Your Speaker’s Topic

8.3.2 Identify the Appropriate Participants for your Booth

8.3.3 Constructing a Display

8.3.4 Level of Presence

8.4 Gather Information and Follow Up

8.5 Evaluate ROI Post-Show

8.6 Key Terms

9. Coordinate Firm Special Events

9.1 Plan the Event

9.1.1 Define Your Goals

9.1.2 Identify Your Audience

9.1.3 Develop the Central Concept

9.1.4 Give it the Creative Sparkle

9.2 Check, then Double Check

9.3 Post Event

9.4 Other Corporate Entertainment Strategies

9.5 Key Terms

10 Select Vendors and Consultants

10.1 Define the Scope of Work

10.2 Select and Interview Vendors and Consultants

10.3 Manage and Direct Activities of Consultants

10.4 Key Terms

11 Case Study Activity

12 Glossary

13 Related Resources

14 Figures

15 Index·

16 About the Photographer

17 Peer Review

18 Body of Knowledge Subject Matter Experts (SM Es)

I love this entire Domain. Everything in it I have experienced first hand and agree with the analysis and methods.

If you would like to do the right thing, give me a call for lunch.