Client Relationships

I just finished reading “Start Something That Matters” written by founder of TOMS shoes Blake Mycoskie. I picked up the book after learning that Brogan & Partners was featured in a call-out box. Blake recognized us for our long-standing tradition of honoring mistake of the month with a $50 reward. Each month at our agency meeting, while celebrating our hero of the month and our BVP (Brogan Values Perfectionista), we also share the mistake of the month. The only rule—you have to nominate yourself. Celebrating mistake of the month has helped contribute to our open and honest culture while also helping others to avoid making the same mistakes.

This is just one of the many traditions that makes our company truly great. When I walked in the doors 18 years ago, I never dreamt that I’d be working for the same company today but what I’ve found inside our walls is a spirit and an energy that inspires me every day. Whether it’s helping a company with a branding reboot, building a snowman for the Friendship Circle, raising money for breast cancer, walking for the Rainbow Connection or holding a party to benefit FORCE, our Board of Directors and employees are continuously thinking about how they can make a difference in this world. In our day to day worlds, we are working with our clients to make a difference in their companies—some of which we’ve worked with for over 20 years. This year we celebrated our 27^th year in business and we are looking forward to the next 27 years. Big thanks to our clients, friends, neighbors and employees who are the reason we are able to continue doing great work. Wishing all of you much success in 2012 and beyond.

After receiving over 60 entries we have chosen the winner of the Michigan Business Reboot Contest. We were thrilled and overwhelmed with the amount of very deserving businesses that entered, which made our decision difficult. However, after carefully reviewing all the entries and interviewing finalists, the business we selected for the grand-prize of marketing and public relations services worth $75,000 is Mechanical Energy Systems (MES).

Mechanical Energy Systems has provided alternative energy solutions such as solar electric and water heating to homeowners and businesses. As pioneers in renewable energy products, the family-owned company is well-respected in the industry and is becoming one of the largest distributors and trainers of solar applications in Michigan. They were chosen based on their longstanding commitment to Michigan and dedication to innovation. We are excited to begin working with everyone at MES and look forward to helping them grow their business and their marketing initiatives.

Thank you to everyone who entered the Michigan Business Reboot Contest and helped make this a success.

While doing social media training here at the agency, I finally figured out why so many people do not respond or follow on Twitter...

They don't know how!

Although Twitter seems pretty self explanatory, especially to those of us that were in college when Facebook and MySpace first hit the social media scene, that doesn't mean everyone can follow along and quickly grasp the concept.  For those who need the extra help, it means there will be some research involved... yes, you have to google how to twitter. Sounds like a simple enough request, right? Wrong. Most people look to social media because it should be fun, easy and exciting... not one of those words implies having to LEARN first.

I can now say from experience, that little effort to learn something new goes a long way to gaining a positive new tool to promote your business and yourself.  Do you disagree? I'd love to see your thoughts.

P.S. If you can't get somebody's attention through social media like this poor man, maybe you should try a new tactic!

The creative gang bang. Don’t fret, it is nothing that would land me in a sexual harassment lawsuit. It is a Darwinian approach, common at most agencies, where the best work rises to the top through creative team (writer/art director) competition. Only now, with the proliferation of the internet, the concept is going global. Clients can post their creative brief and creatives do the assignment pro bono hoping they can win a grand or so for their time and effort. Is this a good idea? For a one-off, perhaps. Or for clients who have no relative brand identity. Or for clients that burn through agencies because they hate trusting anyone besides themselves. But while a former art director partner of mine is worried about the ramifications of such trends, this creative director is not. Great work comes from great relationships. Shared passion for the brand. Greater insight working together from strategy to focus groups to production. I would think clients would want an agency who was 100% invested and cared about the work working, the phone ringing, the web hits rising. And I’m glad I work at that kind of agency. So if you want to work with us, we’ll pitch you some great ideas. But we won’t pitch them through the internet.

What kind of marketing partner do you want?