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76 episodes with brandstorm
6 episodes with brandstorm
Are you ready to transform your brand into a compelling story that resonates?In this episode of 7-8 Figure Special Series I interviewed Michael Doyle. Michael Doyle is a trailblazer in Brand Marketing and has reshaped the industry for 20+ years. Michael Doyle launched Brand Iron in 2002, after successfully building and selling a multi-million dollar tech-based advertising agency. His tough precision has steered countless businesses in different industries to success worldwide. He built a Denver-based advertising agency into a multi-million dollar company and sold it to a national integrated services provider in 2000. Michael has led more than 500 signature BrandStorm sessions & lead more than 500 brand being developed, has helped companies raise more than 5 billion dollars in capital and helped more than 40 companies get acquired.What story does your brand tell to potential investors and customers? Learn how a powerful brand strategy increase your chances of securing funding. Check this out!Show Links:Brand Iron Website: https://brandiron.netMichael Doyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandiron/Book a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners! The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/
Chegando à sua 32ª edição, o programa Brandstorm, da L'Oréal, é um projeto mais do que consolidado. Com mentorias e um envolvimento amplo do RH, a iniciativa já fez a diferença para muitas pessoas. A missão, no entanto, é ir ainda mais além, com a ação se fortalecendo e trazendo sempre mais benefícios à marca e ao público envolvido a cada etapa. Mas o que explica o sucesso do Brandstorm? Quais são seus diferenciais? Como a iniciativa da L'Oréal pode inspirar outras empresas? Talent Acquisition & Management Director da L'Oréal, Anne Jacobson volta ao RH Pra Você Cast para compartilhar todos os insights do programa com a gente. Confira! Para participar do Brandstorm 2024, as inscrições podem ser realizadas através do link a seguir até o dia 31/03: https://brandstorm.loreal.com/pt Veja também como foi a primeira participação da executiva por aqui, com ela contando a sua história: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETnKVAWnd0E&t=510s Não deixe de acompanhar o RH Pra Você Cast nos principais tocadores e em nosso canal no YouTube. https://linklist.bio/RHPraVcCast Aproveite para seguir e interagir em nossas redes sociais: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhpraVoce Instagram: https://instagram.com/rhpravc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rhpravc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtqQf6G3c2NgouNldtYtsjw
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Salut tout le monde, je suis Paul, Brand Designer et fondateur d'AWHA Studio, et je suis ravi de vous accueillir dans cette épisode 0 de BRANDSTORM !
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It can be hard to pinpoint exactly when you should be making adjustments to your brand. When people ask me this question, my response is always, “well how do YOU feel about your brand”? Because it's not about what looks “good” on the outside — it's about how accurately the stuff on the outside matches the stuff inside your head. The honest truth is, no one but you will know the answer to that. In this episode, we talk about what it FEELS like when you outgrow your brand (so that you can easily pinpoint it), why it happens, and what to do to when you find yourself in this position! As mentioned at the end of this episode... I have an offer that's specifically designed to help you click things back into place if you find your brand feeling a bit off-kilter! It's an epic, 2-hour brand strategy intensive called “The Brandstorm” where we do a deep dive into your audience, offer, brand identity, messaging, and brand touchpoints to ensure that all of the dots connect together — BEFORE you decide to go hands-in and make any adjustments! This offer is available at early bird pricing for a limited time, so if you're interested, click HERE to book a time to chat with me and see if The Brandstorm is the right fit for you! Got an “AHA” moment from this episode that you'd like to share with me? Connect with me on instagram @racheltyee or sign up to my weekly newsletter at the bottom of the home page of my website! I'd love to hear from you :) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/off-brand-podcast/message
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the Brand Champion and CEO of Brand Iron, Michael Doyle.Michael is an expert in building great brands and Brand Iron helps its clients achieve their desired results. His company, Brand Iron, works with clients to develop a strategic brand plan, make brands quantifiable, trackable and produce desired outcomes. According to Michael, their team tackles the branding issue from every angle because he strongly believes that a great brand is more than just having a great message and a great persona.Michael advises business owners to first identify their interests and desired outcomes before seeking help from a branding or marketing company. By having a clear understanding of what they want to achieve, business owners can better evaluate which company will be the best fit to help them reach their goals. He suggests that this understanding will guide them to the right company to collaborate with, and ultimately lead to their desired outcome.Key points from the Episode:Insight on the 2023 Graphic Design trendsUnderstanding the difference between Brand Strategist and Web DesignerEngagement & ConsultationAbout Michael Doyle: For almost two decades, Michael has been transforming the face of Brand Marketing. He grew DNA Advertising, a tech-based advertising business, into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. In 2000, Michael sold the company as part of a nationwide IPO. Michael launched Brand Iron in 2002 and has since advised hundreds of other companies in a variety of industries throughout the world.He also loves actively participating in community events and public speaking to educate others on the power and importance of branding and business development. Michael enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for what can be achieved when branding and strategy are aligned. He wants to help others by sharing his network and expertise. Michael has: • Built a Denver-based advertising agency into a multi-million dollar company and sold it to a national integrated services provider in 2000.• Served as a National Brand Director for a National Dotcom in preparation for going public.• Has more than 25 years of branding, marketing and advertising experience.• Michael has led more than 450 signature BrandStorm sessions & lead more than 500 brands being developed, has helped companies raise more than 5 billion dollars in capital and helped more than 40 companies get acquired.• Serves on various boards - Return to Prosperity, The Dealmakers Conference, Halen Technology.• Michael facilitates several CEO Groups including the The Dealmakers Conference (PE, RE and Tech networking group) & Emerging Companies Group.About Brand Iron: Brand Iron is a multi-faceted branding and marketing agency passionate about changing businesses and altering brands. They're a group of independent thinkers, artists, and doers dedicated to producing unparalleled results for our clients.They have years of experience in creating real-world results for companies in different industries, and know what it takes to make your business stand out.They propel their clients and organizations to new heights by utilizing tried and tested marketing strategies, inspired design, and integrated technological solutions.Since 2002, Brand Iron has been inventing, defining, and reshaping brands, partnering with businesses seeking to achieve specific goals through their brand. They've worked with over 200 clients around Denver,...
Julia Canalini, Country Manager da Airtm, conversa com nossos apresentadores Thiego Goularte, founder da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo, no episódio #13 do #Brandstorm.Julia tem uma carreira incrível que se divide entre empreendedorismo e liderança em grandes marcas, mostrando que ambos os cenários se conectam de diversas formas.A conversa com foi ótima, com insights importantíssimos para quem quer empreender ou tomar novos rumos na carreira. Quer conhecer mais da jornada inspiradora da Julia? Ouça nosso novo episódio.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Brandão, CMO da Amstel, é a grande líder do mercado que conversará conosco no episódio #12 do Brandstorm, seu podcast de marketing e inovação. Nesta semana, nossos apresentadores Thiego Goularte, founder da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo, conversaram com a Vanessa sobre vida, carreira e inovação.Vanessa é uma daquelas pessoas com múltiplos talentos e hobbies, mas dedica boa parte de seu dia ao setor de cervejas premium. Com larga experiência na Heineken Company, Vanessa entende muito bem como é estar por trás das campanhas de marcas apaixonantes e de seu relacionamento com o consumidor.Em uma troca de ideias cheia de insights, conhecemos mais sobre a Vanessa e sua forte atuação como uma líder mulher no mercado brasileiro. O episódio ficou imperdível.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jorge Vargas Neto, CEO e co-founder da BHub, é nosso convidado do episódio #11 do #Brandstorm. Nossos apresentadores Thiego Goularte, founder da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo, conversam com ele sobre carreira e vontade de fazer acontecer.Jorge é um empreendedor em série. Sempre se reinventando, esteve à frente da criação e desenvolvimento de diferentes startups. Como executivo, também esteve no RappiBank.A conversa com o Jorge foi incrível, cheia de insights legais e aprendizados importantes para todos que desejam empreender. Quer conhecer a trajetória de uma pessoa que colocou a mão na massa e tirou os sonhos do papel? Não perca o episódio.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mariam Topeshashvili, Head of Turbo no Rappi, chega conosco ao episódio #10 do Brandstorm para nos contar sua história de vida mais que inspiradora. Thiego Goularte, fundador da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo, nossos hosts, receberam Mariam em uma conversa mais que inspiradora.Mariam chegou ao Brasil como refugiada ainda criança, se instalando no Rio de Janeiro. Ajudando o pai a vender cerveja na praia, Mariam aprendeu português e logo se tornou um talento notável, chegando a estudar em Harvard. Neste episódio, Mariam conta como foi sua jornada como refugiada, estudante, empreendedora e profissional. Quer conhecer a história da Mariam? Não perca o episódio.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Já postou sua dancinha hoje? Gabriela Comazzetto, Head of Global Business Solutions no TikTok, é a nossa convidada do episódio #09 do Brandstorm. Nossos hosts Thiego Goularte, founder da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo, bateram um papo cheio de insights, risadas e conteúdo significativo com a Gabi, entendendo como uma rede social conseguiu ganhar tão rápido o público brasileiro, principalmente os mais jovens.Além de comentar o sucesso do TikTok, Gabriela nos contou um pouco de sua vida pessoal. Sendo mãe de quatro filhas, a executiva comenta como concilia seu sucesso profissional e seu amor pela família grande, defendendo que é possível viver uma vida saudável com os filhos e ter uma carreira sólida.Quer entender como o TikTok se tornou fenômeno? Assista ao episódio!Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Luciana Rodrigues, CEO da Grey, chega ao Brandstorm, seu podcast de marketing e inovação, para contar sua experiência como CEO aos nossos apresentadores Thiego Goularte, founder da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo.Luciana é uma das (ainda) poucas CEOs do Brasil. Ciente de sua posição rara, ela se dedica a inspirar e incentivar outras mulheres a sonhar alto e conquistar cada vez mais espaços no mercado e no mundo.Em um bate-papo extremamente inspirador e enriquecedor, Luciana nos contou quem ela é para além dos escritórios e o que ela almeja. Além, claro, de nos contar sobre sua carreira e como foi sua jornada de descobertas e de dedicação.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Para o #07 episódio o #Brandstorm convidou Ana Paula Rodrigues, CMO do Magazine Luiza, para conversar com o Thiego Goularte, fundador da Makers, e Simone Murata, Country Head of Marketing na NotCo.Ana Paula tem uma jornada incrível no Magazine Luiza, um dos maiores varejistas do Brasil que já se tornou uma referência para o mundo inteiro. Conversando com a nossa bancada, a executiva contou um pouco da história do Magalu, das inovações que a marca já implementou e da humanização do varejo como uma forma de colocar o cliente no centro de todos os processos.Quer saber como a Lu, do Magalu, se tornou a primeira brand persona e influenciadora digital 3D na capa da Vogue? Vem conferir.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neste episódio, recebemos Carolina Sevciuc, Diretora de Inovação Digital na Nestlé, no #Brandstorm, o podcast sobre marketing da #makers. Desta vez, com parceria com a Localiza. Carolina tem uma trajetória notória dentro e fora do Brasil, tendo vivido e trabalhado em países como França, Inglaterra e Suíça.Em nossa conversa, comentamos sobre vida fora do Brasil e conciliação entre vida pessoal, sonhos e carreira. Porém, falamos principalmente do papel da inovação em marcas tradicionais e como a responsabilidade social pode andar de mãos dadas com a transformação do mercado. Carolina nos contou também sobre a parceria incrível entre o projeto Gerando Falcões e a Nestlé Brasil, falando sobre quais foram os desafios de tirar essa parceria do papel e como foi sugerir o desenvolvimento de um produto que não reverteria lucro algum para a marca. Já pensou nisso?Vale a pena conferir essa troca de ideias, experiências e insights.Quando for alugar um carro, vá de Localiza. O seu melhor caminho é o próximo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Marcelo Tas está conosco em nosso #05 episódio do #Brandstorm, o podcast de marketing da makers. Neste episódio, Thiego Goularte, (Founder da makers) e Simone Murata (Diretora Global da NotCo), bateram um papo muito especial com o convidado, que é jornalista, roteirista, diretor, autor, apresentador e palestrante.Durante o bate-papo, eles falaram sobre o sucesso que TAS já fez (e ainda faz) na TV e sobre a forma como ele direciona seu talento e conhecimento nas multiplataformas que existem atualmente. Sem dúvida, Marcelo TAS é uma inspiração!Claro que não é tarefa fácil entrevistar o entrevistador, mas Thiego e Simone fizeram muito bem o dever de casa e a conversa foi incrível! Você vai saber mais sobre a infância, família, escolha de profissão, como Marcelo enxerga e traduz o universo do marketing na sua vida e o futuro da TV. Será que ela está morrendo? TAS falou sobre tudo isso e muito mais.Você não pode perder essa conversa que rendeu muitos insights, curiosidades e, acima de tudo, ensinamentos. Vale a pena conferir! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Marcelo Trevisani, CMO da IBM. A tecnologia é a nossa aliada em praticamente tudo que realizamos. O tempo todo estamos em contato com algum tipo de inteligência artificial, o que a possibilita somar positivamente nas atividades da nossa rotina. E para esta engrenagem funcionar perfeitamente, muitos desafios são enfrentados diariamente em grandes empresas de tecnologia, como a IBM.Neste episódio do #Brandstorm, Thiego Goularte (Founder da Makers) e Simone Murata (Diretora Global da NotCo), batem um papo com Marcelo Trevisani, CMO da IBM, sobre os principais desafios da área de Marketing em tempos cada vez mais complexos da tecnologia em nossas vidas; o futuro da Comunicação e como é fazer parte de um time que compõe uma das empresas mais valiosas do mundo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Renata Lamarco, CMO do Outback. Impossível pensar em Outback e não lembrar da rica experiência que encontramos dentro da loja. Mas, a pergunta chave é: Como se manter no gosto do público em uma pandemia, longe do icônico ambiente do restaurante? E como a marca se prepara para a retomada?Neste episódio do #Brandstorm, Thiego Goularte (founder da @Makers) e Simone Murata (Diretora Global da @NotCo) batem um papo com Renata Lamarco, CMO do @Outback, sobre os principais desafios de uma das marcas mais amadas pelas pessoas, no quesito alimentação, e que também está à frente do grupo Bloomin' Brands, empresa que além do Outback detém marcas como @Abbraccio e @Aussie Grill.Spoiler: Uma marca passa por desafios constantes de posicionamento e isso é fato. Mas, mesmo em contexto pandêmico, é possível sentir quando o propósito do marketing e comunicação extrapolam o convencional.Na juventude, escolher cursar Publicidade & Propaganda é um sonho que mescla diferentes oportunidades e contextos. Assim aconteceu com a nossa convidada, que se deparou com um universo repleto de dados e números, que hoje favorecem ainda mais o seu trabalho e tem sido o futuro de tudo que executamos. Pensar na experiência do cliente, dentro do restaurante ou até em nossas próprias casas, é um desafio que o Outback vivenciou e, podemos ressaltar, passou com louvor. Afinal, se você não trouxe ainda o ritual Outback para sua casa, acredite, está perdendo! Ah, e tem pratos para todos os gostos e estilos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
No primeiro episódio do Brandstorm, Nath Arcuri bate um papo com Thiego Goularte (CEO @Makers) e Simone Murata (Diretora Global @NotCo). Professora de educação financeira e head de marketing da @MePoupeNaWeb, Nath mostra um lado seu que as pessoas ainda não conhecem: os principais desafios que ela enfrentou para liderar um time e uma empresa rumo a desfudência financeira do Brasil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Se trata del equipo femenino 'Solaz', conformado por tres estudiantes de la Universidad de los Andes que representarán al país en la importante competencia de Brandstorm, en París.
Episode 38 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features two interviews: one with Mary Coppola, VP of marketing and communications for the United Fresh Produce Association, and one with Joe Watson, VP of membership and engagement with the Produce Marketing Association, and Steve Patt, director of business development for Tourtellot & Co. The Packer's retail editor Ashley Nickle speaks with Coppola about United's upcoming BrandStorm event and the slew of marketing topics that will be covered there, and later in the episode Nickle discusses with Watson and Patt the new Essentials of Produce at Retail training course that PMA has developed for entry-level produce retail associates. In case you're new to Tip of the Iceberg, its name serves as a reminder for listeners that these discussions are just a taste of the vast produce industry coverage and analysis provided by The Packer newspaper, PMG magazine and always-updating websites for both brands: ThePacker.com and ProduceMarketGuide.com. Hope you enjoy the conversation! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Sabrina Halvorson talks with Stephanie Alexandre about her family's organic dairy farm and its new certification. We also hear about the BrandStorm event from the United Fresh Produce Association and we have key points from the confirmation hearing for EPA nominee Michael Regan.
Branding has become a fast-growing market. Everyone and everything wants to become a recognizable brand. With everyone competing in the same fast-moving space, how do you make a brand that stands out and creates a positive emotional connection to your audience? Today's guest is Liz Nickles an award-winning marketer and advertiser. She is the President of Black Label Brand Development a company that specializes in branding, marketing, and strategic vision. She is also the author of 15 books including Brandstorm. Liz joins us to share her years of experience building globally recognized brands. We discuss how branding is an emotional institution and how hitting the wrong emotions can have a destructive effect. In addition, we get into the changes in publishing over the years and what it takes to have a successful collaboration with a publisher. Plus Liz shares what the first thing publishers ask and you might be surprised to learn that it isn't "What is your book about?" In today's business, you only have a few seconds to get your point across, this includes letting potential customers know what your brand is about. Peter shares how a Powerful Manifesto is a great way to achieve this!
With so many ways to watch video content these days, it’s a great time for the consumer, but it has also become an increasingly difficult time for the local media buyer. On this episode of Brandstorm, Michael Beach, CEO at Cross Screen Media, talks about his video advertising platform, which helps media buyers take some of the challenges out of buying broadcast, cable, connected TV, desktop mobile and social video content. About Cross Screen Media Cross Screen Media is a spinoff of a political agency called Target to Victory that Michael worked at in Washington, D.C. Frustrated by their own efforts to do audience targeting with video content, Michael and his team began investing in set top boxes from cable and satellite TV providers and other data sources, including media consumption habits from MRI and Scarborough, and even more recently, Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) from the data that is captured from Smart TVs. It was now possible to buy video content based on audience attributions and impressions, which is the same way advertisers currently buy digital advertising. By putting television and digital in the same audience-based currency, it was easier to compare and buy video content. Focusing only on video content, they launched their first television advertising platform in 2013. By 2016, they knew they had a platform that catered to media buyers’ needs and could be sold in local television markets. They closed the agency’s doors and created Cross Screen Media in 2017. The Challenges for Local Advertisers Buying TV Most TV stations sell their inventory based on ratings points. In smaller markets, however, about 70 percent of the video content doesn’t have a big enough audience sample to get a rating point. The ratings are so low for some programs, the ratings look like no one is watching. Buying on impressions, however, allows advertisers to buy against digital and do some audience targeting. Michael believes the future for the ad seller will be to make impressions more valuable by tailoring them to the audience. Advertisers who know their target audience will be more willing buy programming that can deliver the audience they want. That’s good news for TV providers. They will be able to, at least in the short term, sell more inventory. Television will be more affordable for the advertiser who wants to by those programs with lower viewership because they deliver the right audience target. Another challenge is that the way things are trending, there will be fewer impressions on average to sell. Video content has grown by more than 300 percent over the last 10 years. Back then, there were about 200 scripted shows on television. This past year, there were more than 600 shows and this trend isn’t expected to change. There will be more programming in 2020 than 2019. In fact, while social media and digital has seen substantial growth the past 10 years, Michael says video content is about to explode. Right now, TV has low targeting, but high attention. Digital is the opposite, high targeting, low attention. Connected TV is really exciting to Michael because it has the potential to be both. All this will change over the next 5 years, according to Michael, and it will happen in three phases. In Phase 1, which is where we are now, about 50 percent of the video content is bought using age and gender demos. along with some audience targeting. In about three years, in Phase 2, there will be more audience targeting and audience attributions will grow in importance. By Phase 3, in 5 years, audience attribution will be the key component of the video spend and will be driven by how much foot traffic is generated or how many transactions are made. How Cross Screen Media Makes Media Buying Easier Michael says pricing for the Cross Screen platform varies and is primarily based on the number of markets bought. Onboarding is pretty quick for ad agencies, and usually takes less than two weeks. Cross Screen takes an advertiser’s customer data or information from a CRM and uses its national consumer file with more than 1500 attributes. The attributes can be used to build out a strategic audience. The platform provides different buying options and allows for cross-screen comparisons in broadcast, cable, connected TV, desktop mobile and social video content. Buyers can then target consumer content and figure how to balance it across the various screens. With one place to bring everything together buyers can figure out who the target is, how that target consumes video content, what it will cost and then tweak the buy from there. It will take some time for buyers to become screen-agnostic, where they won’t care about what content they are watching and only buy content that delivers their audience. Mike believes eventually impression-based selling will make it easier for TV media buyers to buy more digital and vice versa, but it will also come in phases. Right now, the ad agency may still have a TV media buying team and a digital buying team planning and buying separately. Eventually, those two teams will work together, and ultimately the same team will understand both video and digital content. Connect with Michael Website: https:///www.crossscreen.media Newsletter: https://www.stateofthescreens.com Email: mbeach@crossscreen.media
A report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum indicates that more retirees and fewer young people could create a workforce dilemma for the state in the coming years. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, or MMAC, has partnered with the Milwaukee 7 to help companies in the region attract, retain and train workers in jobs that offer growth potential. In this episode of Brandstorm, Susan Koehn, vice president of the Talent & Industry Partnership and point person for this initiative, tells us more about the workforce issues facing southeastern Wisconsin and what is being done to help businesses now and in the future. Background According to Susan, Wisconsin’s economic development and workforce development organizations have historically operated as two, independent silos. Economic development focused on corporate attraction projects, brick and mortar projects and building infrastructure. Workforce development was involved in talent and training. Neither side was talking to each other, while the skills gap was growing larger in southeastern Wisconsin. Industry was blaming education for not producing the right kinds of worker’s skills to fill the jobs that were needed, and education blamed industry for not saying what skills were needed. The recognition that talent was a key driver of economic growth sparked the first attempt to break down the walls between economic and workforce development around 2007/08. The goal was to get the two sides talking to change the narrative. MMAC/Milwaukee 7 Partnership The MMAC is a membership-based Chamber of Commerce. The Milwaukee 7 is a regional economic development organization for the seven counties in southeastern Wisconsin: Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha. When the Milwaukee 7 was formed in 2005, there was a realization that industry was involved in a zero-sum gain by poaching talent from each other. Collaboration was needed to bring in new businesses, expand existing companies and create new investments. The MMAC played a critical role in bringing the two organizations together and forming the Talent & Industry Partnership. Today, they share office space and staff and are working together to address the shortage of talent in the region. Wisconsin Policy Forum Report Takeaways Susan says the demographics are undeniable. The now-retiring Baby Boomers were followed by two million fewer Gen Xers and this trend has continued in birth rates. There are just fewer young people coming into the workforce. The recession may have also masked the talent shortage because there were fewer job openings. When the recession ended, companies that used to post jobs and receive hundreds of qualified applicants were now seeing three or four applications from people who did not qualify for the jobs. So, while the report wasn’t surprising to people like Susan, it did confirm what businesses were seeing on the ground. Analyzing Southeastern Wisconsin’s Labor Supply Working with Manpower Group, research was conduction that indicates the workforce gap in the region’s seven counties will hit 38,000 in job openings by 2021. Where are we going to find the people to fill them? According to the Manpower research, there are pockets in the region where there are lots of potential workers who are on the sidelines and not working because they are no longer looking for jobs, are underemployed or ineligible. In fact, there are about 300,000 workers with a high school diploma, but no post-secondary degrees or credentials. Susan believes we could leverage of larger talent pool by taking a closer look at the job openings and determining if a college degree is really needed, or if an individual can come on board and be trained while on the job. She says, according to one of the tenets of sales, it costs far less to retain customers than acquire new ones. The same holds true for employees. Businesses can upskill the employees while on the job for far less and backfill some of the other jobs with higher education requirements with fresh talent. Filling the Future Skills Gap Southeastern Wisconsin is in a great position to improve the workforce dilemma through education and training. We have many excellent higher education institutions and a good K12 education system. And, there is an openness now for industry and education to collaborate. The industry can assist by providing real-world, learning opportunities, such as sponsoring classroom projects, job shadowing, internships, and guest business speakers. About 68-75 percent of college internships convert to direct hires. Susan says legacy companies and industries in the region, like manufacturing, need to show innovation potential through more experiential learning opportunities. In fact, 67 percent of Americans believe more internships for young people would increase interest in manufacturing. In Wisconsin, schools are mandated to provide academic as well as career planning, starting at the 6th-grade level through high school. MMAC has a program called “Be the Spark” that takes 7th graders from Milwaukee Public Schools on business tours. There is a push to increase the number of schools offering computer science classes and technical education for trades like plumbing, electrical and construction is making a comeback. And finally, Susan says the Wisconsin Economic Development Committee (WEDC) has a program called “Think-Make-Happen that is targeting the likeliest candidates to attract and relocate to Wisconsin. For instance, Wisconsin provides one of the most generous packages to provide support, incentives and free education to service members in the country. The organization is also targeting alumni of Wisconsin institutions to come back and Midwest millennials who already live in colder climates to relocate to our state’s booming economy and great quality of life. Opportunities for Growth Industries with the greatest potential for growth in southeastern Wisconsin are financial services, healthcare systems and manufacturing companies that are intersecting with smart technology. There is also an effort to build technology ecosystems like Milwaukee’s Water District. Susan says while the challenge to fill the skills gap in our region is urgent, it is giving way to new ideas and ways to innovate and collaborate. The Industry & Talent Partnership can help businesses, individuals and schools by connecting them with the right organizations and resources they need. Connect with Susan: Email: skoehn@mke7.com Website: https://www.mmac.org Twitter: @mke7talent
The holidays are just about here, so all of us at #Brandstorm thought it would be fun to talk about a sweet, corporate gift idea. This office gift could also be a clever way of saying, “I’m sorry,” when you really mess up. The name of the franchise is Woops! Its bakeshops and kiosks serve artisanal, French macarons, pastries and coffee all around the country. Milwaukee owner Shahnoza Saadati talks about this relatively new franchise and its delicate creations. What is a French Macaron? Shahnoza likes to say there are three macarons: the flourless American cookie that is typically made with coconut (macaroon), the French pastry (macaron) and the French President Macron. While they may all sound alike, there is only one macaron. The delicate, French pastry is very difficult to make. The first step is making the crust, which is made with almond, four and fresh, whipped egg whites. The second step is the filling, a chocolate ganache with white chocolate from Belgium. The macaron is then infused with flavors like pistachio, blueberry cheesecake and lemon tart. There are 20 flavors in all. Some are seasonal like the strawberry milkshake and orange cream sickle in the summer, apple cinnamon in the fall, red velvet dressed up in confetti at Christmas. Valentine’s Day is always a surprise, but last year was a strawberry passion fruit. Some are American flavors that include cookies and cream, Nutella, red velvet and cotton candy. But the classics are always available – pistachio, dark chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, lemon tart and salted caramel. The last step to making the macaron is freezing them in a special container so that no humidity gets in to spoil the colors and meringue crust. A Corporate Gift to Remember Shahnoza says she was attracted to the Woops! franchise because of its B2B approach to gifting. The French macarons are memorable because they are handmade, handprinted and hand-delivered. They come in a variety of beautiful packaging as small as a flavor pack with two macarons for $6, gift boxes from $13 to $26, combinations of boxes at $50, $100 and $200, and even large pyramids that are typically made for weddings. Both the macarons and packaging sleeves can be imprinted with corporate logos. The macarons are made in New York, frozen and shipped in protective boxes to Shahnoza, who keeps the macarons in her storefront kiosk at Brookfield Square. While she has a retail presence, most orders are taken online and hand-delivered using Grub Hub and Door Dash. Orders can be fulfilled and delivered in less than 30 minutes, if needed. Building Corporate Relationships Shahnoza says doing in business in Wisconsin is all about relationships and referrals. She networks with the local Chamber of Commerce and Visit Milwaukee. She takes a pop-up kiosk to shows like Marketplace Wisconsin and uses LinkedIn to connect with businesses and deliver samples to interested parties. About Woops! Woops! started in New York with four friends and previous franchise owners who wanted to create something of their own. Their startups with the French Macarons grossed a quarter-million dollars in just 5 weeks. In no time, they realized “woops” we have a business, and just one year later, “woops” we have a franchise…or so the story goes. There are about 50 Woops! locations and 30 franchisees in the U.S. Started in 2012, the company supplies franchisees with all the resources to connect with local businesses in addition to making the delicate and delicious macarons, custom printing and packaging. They have materials to say thanks, appreciate clients, even real estate closings, and support franchisees with weekly phone calls. While the cost of a business is always more than you anticipate, Shahnoza says the investment in a Woops! franchise is about $80,000 to $100,000. Connect with Shahnoza Email: brookfieldsquare@bywoops.com Website: https://www.bywoops.com/
Online newsrooms are becoming very popular, thanks to companies like TEKGroup International Inc., an internet software and services firm that helps PR and corporate communications professionals save time and money, while providing a platform to help increase coverage in the mainstream and social media. Companies like Starbucks, Toyota, Dunkin Donuts and Walgreen’s and many others are using these newsrooms to centralize all their communications content. On this episode of #Brandstorm, Steve Momorella, owner and founder of TEKGroup talks about the online newsroom and why companies should be considering them. What is an Online Newsroom? TekGroup has been creating newsroom for brands since 1998. Back then, they were called Press Rooms. They were a placeholder on your website for press release, news coverage, logos and imagery. The focus of the Press Room was for journalists. With the advent of social media, in the last 5 years or so, these Press Rooms have changed to Online Newsrooms or Brand Journalism Newsrooms where the focus is on the brand’s audiences. It is now a hub for all communications content – media assets, stories, imagery, video, audio, pdfs, social media, etc. While press releases are still used, companies have switched their focus to stories about the brand -- how the brand was created and how it is being used by customers, as an example. The articles are often written by people in different departments within the company, and not just PR professionals. Companies like Sprint are using the online newsroom as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) site or as Investor Relations sites. Steve says the other big difference is that online newsrooms now make it possible to upload content and distribute all your communications to journalists, employees, customers and any other target audiences with a few clicks and its delivered. The Online Newsroom Advantage With social media and distribution integrated into one platform, PR and Communications professionals save time and money. They don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on wire releases because more than 4000 journalists are already in the dashboard and can be targeted by industry. TekGroup even offers a Twitter feed for journalists that can also be targeted by industry. You also can save money by not having to pay contact database companies to send out emails. In the past, PR professionals had to write the content, pay a wire service so they could upload the photos and press release for distribution. Now PR professionals can save valuable time because the platform integrates distribution and all your social assets. You can choose which social media account to use, who you want to send the content to, while sending out consistent messaging, all from one dashboard. TekGroup Technical Support The online newsroom is technically a standalone site from the company’s website, however from a visual and SEO perspective, it is integrated with the website. Visitors never know they are going to another site when they click on the newsroom icon. TekGroup build the site based on the client’s needs, and then become the IT department, hosting and managing the site. The platform also has an embedded analytics system that can integrate with a company’s Google Analytics for tracking and SEO purposes. The Way of the Future Steve says research has been conducted the last 15 years to measure the trends and expectations of both journalists and consumers when it comes to an online newsroom. In the past, it was used 100 percent of the time by journalists. Now, the numbers are 70 percent consumers; 30 percent journalists. Pricing According to Steve, there are two pricing tiers – professional and enterprise tiers. For large companies with lots of personnel, locations, products and services, it can be expensive. For small companies, the cost $10,000 annually. Steve likes to say, for less than $1000 per month, you get a fully-hosted website management system with unlimited use. Plus, no more costs for wire services or email contact companies. The savings can be huge depending on how much content a company sends out. Connect with Steve Email: steve@tekgroup.com Phone: 734-945-7790 Website: tekgroup.com Twitter: @tekgroup
You may already know that Chick-fil-A is the third largest fast-food restaurant chain in the U. S. and that it ranks #1 in customer satisfaction. But did you know this year, the fast-food restaurant chain entered the ranks of the country’s most respected and revered companies at #51, ahead of Amazon at #54? This according to the Reputation Institute, a reputation measurement and management services firm. Kyle Bartz is one of the newest owners of a local Chick fil-A in Pewaukee, Wis. He joins #Brandstorm to talk about this great brand story. About Kyle Bartz Kyle didn’t even know what a Chick-fil-A was when he walked into one of the restaurants on the East Coast 11 years ago. But, when the local owner told him to come work for her and he might have the opportunity to own his own restaurant in a few years, he was intrigued with the possibilities. Kyle worked for two local owners before going to work for Corporate helping owners to open new restaurants. He spent nearly three years learning everything he could about the business and what you needed to know to be an owner and leader. He then became part of an extensive selection process to determine which restaurant location would be a good fit. That took another year and a half. In April 2019, Kyle opened a Chick-fil-A in Pewaukee, Wis. About Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A’s founder was S. Truett Cathy. Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House®). Through the years, that restaurant prospered and led Cathy to further the success of his business. In 1967, Cathy founded and opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Shopping Center. Today, Chick-fil-A has the highest same-store sales and is the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on annual system-wide sales. A quick fun fact about Chick-fil-A is how it got its name. Cathy called the first part Chick, because chicken was the primary food on the menu. The second part, “fil,” is about the cut of meat used, the filet, and the “A” stands for Grade A quality meats and produce that always come from the very best sources. Opening the Chick-fil-A Way Kyle said every Chick-fil-A opening is different for every new restaurant. Openings are tailored to the local community and what resonates with them, but Corporate always provides a lot of support for the owner. In Kyle’s case, his “opening” started on a Monday night with a Premiere Night. More than 100 residents were selected from a Facebook promotion and invited to sample the food and get a preview of what’s to come. On Tuesday night, Kyle had a Dedication Dinner, which was a private, catered event for his team in Pewaukee. Wednesday was the “First 100 Camp Out.” The first 100 to camp out that night were given a year’s worth of Chick-fil-A, or one meal a week. On Thursday, Kyle officially opened the doors to his new restaurant. Finding & Training Talent When you have a great brand story like Chick-fil-A finding talent is a little easier than it is for other fast-food restaurants. Kyle says he received about 1200 applications in the first, four months. Retail is a people business, so Kyle was looking for friendly people who weren’t just looking for a job. He was interested in finding people looking for a pathway to success, maybe even future ownership, like him. Originating in the southeast in the 1940s, Chick-fil-A is somewhat new to the Midwest, and Wisconsin, in particular. Most of Kyle’s employees didn’t know much about Chick-fil-A and for many, this was their first job. Kyle believes with his team, it is more about setting an example than it is training. The company has a what is called “Two Mile Service.” The first mile is the guest’s expectation. The second mile is what Kyle and his team do to go above and beyond a guest’s expectations. If the guest’s expectation is faster service, how do they make it faster? If politeness is the expectation, Kyle’s team makes sure they are doing everything possible to please their guests, carrying meal orders to their cars, keeping tables clean and refreshing drinks, as examples. Kyle also says he has two buckets of “care.” The first bucket is for his guests and the second is for his employees. He gives stuffed plush cows and coupons to his employees and asks them to hand them to people who look like they are having a bad day or to make a child smile. He leads by example with his team, because if Kyle doesn’t care for his employees, how can he expect them to care about the guests. Long Drive-thru Lines Anyone who has driven by a Chick-fil-A knows that there are often long lines in the drive-thru lanes. While you might say this is a good problem to have, Kyle is trying to combat this issue by taking orders while the customer is in line, so their food will be ready when they get to the window. Chick-fil-A now has a mobile app people can use to order food before they get to the restaurant. And coming soon, the app will include tableside ordering inside the restaurant. Closed on Sundays Chick-fil-A has received a lot of bad press recently over being closed on Sunday. Some believe it is because its management is part of the religious right and are trying to politicize the company’s policy. The truth is when Cathy opened their grill in the 1940s, he and his brother kept it open 24/7. Out of exhaustion, they decided to close the grill on Sundays, and that tradition has been a part of the company ever since. Kyle likes to think it’s good for a person’s mental health to have one day of the week where not one employee must think about the restaurant. And for some reason, the chicken always tastes better after being closed on Sunday. Connect with Chick-fil-A and Kyle Facebook: @CFAPewaukee Hiring: nowhiring.com/cfapewaukee Stop by the restaurant anytime and ask for Kyle.
In a time when trade or business news publications are struggling to survive, one company is killing it. Industry Dive publishes business news and analysis for executives through dedicated sites and email newsletters. What Industry Dive does may not sound sexy, but its revenue stream is turning heads. On this episode of Brandstorm, Industry Dive’s Robin Re, VP of Marketing, talks about Industry Dive’s successful business model. Industry Dive’s Story After years of working together in digital media, Industry Dive’s founders Sean Griffey, Ryan Willumson and Eli Dickinson began to notice a consistent trend. They saw that, while mobile devices were changing the way people worked and consumed information, traditional business media content models, user interfaces and marketing programs were slow to adapt. In 2012, they launched Industry Dive to meet the needs of busy industry executives: providing insights and analysis to help them do their jobs. Its first five publications included Construction Dive, Education Dive, Marketing Dive, Utility Dive and Waste Dive. Five years ago, today’s guest, Robin Re, joined the company to contribute to its growth. Today, there are 16 publications with another two planned to launch this year, its reach has expanded to eight million professionals and its revenues have grown to more than $20 million. Competitive Differentiators As Industry Dive’s name implies, the journalists dive deep into the business news headlines to not only report the story, but to provide insight and analysis of what the information means to its readers. Its editorial is 100 percent independent with a staff of 66 full-time journalists. Robin cites competition, change and capital as its formula for deciding which vertical markets to enter. The industry must already be covered by a niche media group, be subject to continual change because of technology and regulations, and have a large, capital spend. Revenue Generation Industry Dive’s newsletters are free to its readers and 100 percent ad-supported. Banner ads are less than 10 percent of its revenues. They don’t use programmatic ads, but sell directly to its advertisers using lead generation campaigns and direct response vehicles that include email platforms and high-end content like playbooks and webinars. Its sales force are more like consultants who sell “sponsorships” based on the goals of its advertising partners and craft campaigns that speak to its valuable niche audiences. Results are also evaluated primarily on the number of leads or downloads generated and not impressions. The company expects to reach $29 million in revenues in 2019 and will employ about 150 by the end of the year. Connect with Industry Dive: The best way to communicate with Robin is to subscribe to one of its publications at: https://www.industrydive.com/industries/ She responds to everyone who writes to the publication. Robin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinselvy/ IndustryDive's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/industry-dive IndustryDive's Twitter: https://twitter.com/industrydive Robin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinselvy IndustryDive's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndustryDive/
Work is supposed to be fun and games at Punch Bowl Social. The company calls its experiential food and beverage brand a “delectable collection of unequaled music, food, games, and beverages.” While in Milwaukee for the grand opening of Punch Bowl’s 16th location in the U.S., the V.P. of Marketing, Scott Sibley, chatted with #Brandstorm about its unique concept. What is Punch Bunch Social? Punch Bowl Social is an unusual name, but it harkens back to the Victorian era when people gathered around the punch bowl to socialize. It has everything fun…food, arcades, karaoke, beverages, old school gaming and a 360-degree bar. There’s really nothing out there with the scale, size and diversity of Punch Bowl Social. Its 20,000+ sq. ft. facilities are eclectic in design – kind of a combo of holiday lodge, Victorian mid-century, modern and industrial design. However, each location is also different with references and connections to its community. In Milwaukee, for example, its love of lakes, beer and German heritage can be felt throughout the space. The private Karaoke rooms have Liberace, Cheese and Space Cowboy (Steve Miller Band) themes that are all definitely hometown Milwaukee. Each location has old school gaming, but some of the games can be unique to the town. While most people call the game “Yard Yahtzee,” in Milwaukee, it’s called “Farkle.” Punch Bowl is also about positivity and good luck. The number 9 is a positive number, so its founder, Robert Thompson, wanted a name with nine letters. All of his kids have names with nine letters, too. Marketing Punch Bowl Social Punch Bowl Social is corporately-owned and its primary targets are millennials and Gen Z. It's signature event when it enters a new market is to organize a big kick-off party. The company typically engages the help of a local PR in each market to help them connect with the community several months in advance of the opening and to handle publicity for the opening. Its unique concept, scale and size make it newsworthy in every market it enters, but the company also uses paid media to generate awareness. Punch Bowl Social also begins hiring and training staff at least six weeks to two months out from the opening. It has a corporate training team that works with new hires to learn its zone service concept. In addition to Milwaukee, Punch Bowl Social has openings in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Miami and Austin this year. In 2020, it is planning to open in Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Connect with Scott: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-sibley-5915284 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/punchbowlsocial Website: punchbowlsocial.com
How do you go about getting your products in shopping feeds? On this episode of #Brandstorm, meet the co-founder and chief architect of Feedonomics, an advanced shopping feed management system that easily lets you import, optimize, and feed products to multiple channels like Google Shopping, Amazon, eBay and just about anywhere else. What is Feedonomics? Brian Roizen and his brother never set out to create a shopping feed management system. They were both working at an ad agency and were responsible for getting their clients’ products on online shopping channels. Out of frustration with having to work with clunky, legacy feed platforms that needed far more scale, had bad customer service and lengthy contracts, the brothers wondered what would happen if they changed the product data around? Almost immediately, their clients’ products started showing up in feeds. By using rich keywords that people search for in the product titles, descriptions and other attributes of products data, they were able to get the products to perform better. It was a Eureka moment and the start of a new company. Feedonomics is now a full-service feed platform that works with 30 percent of the top 1,000 retailers. Its 110 employees provide 24/7 support with offices in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Philippines, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Getting Started Large or small, if you are a retailer with prices and inventory that change frequently, Brian says it makes sense to be working with a feed management system. Feedonomics charges a flat, monthly rate that usually runs about $200 - $300 and there are no contracts to comply with. Ad spending is over and above the monthly fee and is handled by the client or ad agency. Feedonomics simply manages shopping feeds. To get started, Feedonomics needs a way to get your product data into the system. The company has created dozens of application-programming interfaces, or APIs, with the most common e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento and Square Space. If you are still working with a legacy feed platform, Feedonomics can crawl your website to create the feed as well. It typically takes about three weeks to go live. Feedonomics works with just about every advertising channel and marketplace in existence, including search channels like Bing and Google Shopping, remarketing channels Facebook and AdRoll, affiliate channels like Pepperjam and Commission Junction and even the shopping behemoths like Amazon. Connect with Brian Email: Brian@feedonomics.com Website: https://feedonomics.com/
“Know Your Customer.” It’s the mantra of GlobalWebIndex (GWI), a company that creates and administers the world’s largest survey on the digital consumer, representing 2.5 billion consumers in 45 countries. On this episode of #Brandstorm, we talk to Chris Hopkins, a sales development representative at GWI, about how to use its massive database to build out consumer profiles. Humble Beginnings Founder Tom Smith started GWI in a room in his house. Today, GWI has locations in New York, London, and Greece. He previously worked for MRM/McCann in the strategy, analytics and insights department. About the time social media emerged with MySpace and Facebook in 2006/07, clients began asking how they could get research about what consumers were doing and how they were interacting online. As an entrepreneur and visionary, Tom Smith left the agency to develop his own business model and dashboard. He reached out to thousands of potential clients about his company, but only needed one to take off. In 2009, Microsoft came on board as his first client and has been with GWI ever since. The GWI Model GWI creates its own surveys on a quarterly basis using panel providers around the world to administer them to consumers. Fresh, new respondents are used every quarter. The company’s goal is to gather the full digital life of a consumer. In additions to demographics, it also focuses on psychographics to understand the attitudes and behaviors of consumers, including purchasing habits, online activities, media consumption, interactions with brands and how much time people spend on Facebook versus Twitter. Chris says the company offers its services primarily to advertising agencies, publishers and brands. The GWI platform, which is subscription-based, brings the data together and gives clients the tools to run their own research with the help of its team. The client provides the who and what and GWI gives the how and why. With 35,000 data points, the dashboard can validate and segment audiences, and be used to collect data for new business pitches, avoid stagnation and find new growth opportunities. Chris tells us about Welch’s Grape, a company that had typically targeted women because it believes moms or females were the primary food shoppers. Using GWI, Welch’s discovered the primary shoppers were males and dads and were able to build a new campaign targeting them. Connect with Chris LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjhopkins Email: chris.hopkins@globalwebindex.com Phone: 646-565-7116 Website: globalwebindex.com
What do you do when you work in tourism and realize your state is dead last in places people want to visit? You come up with a new campaign! Nebraska revealed their state’s new slogan back in October. It immediately went viral for its honesty and self-deprecating humor. In this episode of #Brandstorm, we talk to the Nebraska Tourism Commission’s Executive Director, John Ricks, and the campaign’s Creative Director, Kirk Ruhnke, about its origins. Nebraska…honestly, it’s not for everyone From the moment this campaign hit the newsstands, it was a viral sensation. John says the campaign was built from the outside-in based on extensive research that was done with visitors outside the state of Nebraska. Folks from Denver, Kansas City Minneapolis, Wichita, and Des Moines gave their honest opinions about the state and it wasn’t good. For one, many people did not recognize Nebraska as being in the leisure travel category, and even worse, there was brand apathy. No one even cared. They needed a slap in the face to change the negative perceptions of Nebraska. As creative director, Kirk was able to do this so eloquently by acknowledging those negative perceptions and then giving them a unique hook to talk about very positive things in a humorous, self-deprecating manner. John says they also used values-based marketing, and the value they landed on for Nebraska was honesty...a humble culture with a unique sense of humor. They found those quirky things about Nebraska and transcended them into things to see and do. No campaign can convince everyone, and according to Kirk, they aren’t even trying to. If you are one of Nebraska’s out-of–state neighbors and you like to explore and find quirky things to do, the state welcomes you. Campaign Reaction When the campaign was first revealed, the state’s major newspaper, Omaha World Herald, did a poll to see how Nebraskans felt about the campaign. John says 75 percent were for it. There was some pushback, but it was mainly people who felt the campaign made fun of the state when in fact it did just the opposite. The media gave a lot of print space and air time to explain the campaign thoroughly. Stories appeared in the Washington Post, on CNN, the Stephen Colbert Show and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” to name just a few. While the Tourism Commission has a $6.6 million budget, the state has earned $7.2 million in free publicity, and it hasn’t spent a dime yet on advertising. Is it Working? In addition to the millions garnered in earned media, John says there is hard evidence that the campaign is working well. Nebraska has a 1% lodging tax and so far, this year, revenues are up by 5%. Its biggest seasons, spring and summer, have only just begun. Back in the Wisconsin Days John, Kirk and Nancy worked together on Wisconsin tourism in the late 1980s. Although the two state campaigns are quite different, they remember working on another successful tourism campaign targeting Chicagoans. The border between the two states was once called the “tension line.” Chicagoans crossed the border into Wisconsin for leisure time and relaxation. Billboards strategically placed along the states’ borders simply read, “Wisconsin. Chicago’s State Park.” The Nebraska tourism campaign officially launched on April 1. You can see the print and TV ads in Denver, Wichita, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Des Moines and Sioux Falls. Connect with Nebraska Tourism Commission: Website: VisitNebraska.com Email John Ricks: john.ricks@nebraska.gov
Exhibiting at trade shows is a great way to build your brand, meet new customers and strengthen the relationships you’ve already made. Unfortunately, small businesses often avoid trade shows because they cost too much. Maybe you’re a startup business that has never exhibited before, or maybe you’ve managed a show before, but it didn’t produce the results you expected. In the first of two parts, on this episode, we talk to Candy Adams about best practices for putting on a profitable show. Candy is so experienced at producing trade shows, she affectionately known as the Booth Mom. Candy Adams Candy was affectionately nicknamed the Booth Mom by a booth staffer in the early ‘90s for her nurturing personality and knowledge of the trade show industry. First and foremost, she thinks of herself as a mama bear, protecting her clients against unscrupulous individuals at trade shows who prey on rookies. Always looking for value for her clients, Candy never spends a penny where she doesn’t have to. When she began freelancing in 1996, she realized her nickname was actually her brand, so she officially registered her nickname as the Booth Mom. Duties of the Booth Mom Candy says her primary duty is leading clients through the trade show maze. Do they understand their target market? What is the brand they want to project? What trade shows are where their customers are? What kind of exhibit will be the client’s face and how will they display the brand? What is the key message to people who come to the show? What will the staff to say, and what will be the company’s return when the show is over? Candy believes the biggest mistake companies make at shows is in the pre-planning. It starts with what is the return-on-investment (ROI), the return-on-objectives (ROO) and the return-on-relationships (ROR)? ROI is the company’s goal at a trade show. Is the goal to sell product and if so, how much and is it worth it? Most companies go to shows to build relationships. ROO refers to a company’s marketing objectives. Are you at the show to educate, do you have a new product or are you trying to get to the press because you have a great story to tell? ROR is what you need to do to get to the people with whom you already have a relationship with or want to create a relationship with. According to Candy, if you haven’t solidified the ROI, ROO and ROR in your mind, and prioritized them, you shouldn’t spend a dime on a trade show. Another duty of Candy’s is acting as the exhibit manager on behalf of a client at the show and auditing the bills after the show. Most people don’t know what goes on at a trade show. Candy is there to not only get the exhibit up, but to work with and understand union rules so she can coordinate with all of them and make sure the laborers are at your booth at the right time. It’s pricey to have labor hanging around your booth at $130 to $250/hour. She also watches the labor force, keeps track of the paperwork on site and signs off on tasks. Candy says 75 percent of the bills given to her at a show are erroneous. Booth Mom’s Secret Weapon Candy learned early on that having candy bars to hand out at a trade show isn’t enough to get people to do what you want. Homemade cookies are her “friend-maker.” Candy makes 40-dozen cookies before a show, including oatmeal, peanut blossoms and chocolate chip cookies, with or without chips. She also makes turtle brownies, peanut butter brownies and soft, buttermilk sugar cookies and then packages them in small plastic snack bags to bring to the show. It is not surprising her exhibits are up and running smoothly before other exhibitors. Trade Show Training Candy orchestrates two types of training at a trade show. The orientation involves getting the staff ready for a show and making sure they know where everything is and how they work. The other training is boothmanship. To Candy, every show is a play with a script. The company has built a stage, the staff are the actors and the props are the videos, graphics and other tools onsite. Training involves knowing: * What to say when people come to the booth * Why the company is there * Icebreakers * The company elevator speech * The what’s new elevator speech * The qualifying questions * The 3-minute presentation * The recap * The close, which involves saying just enough to get people to schedule a follow-up meeting. * Entering and prioritizing leads Training is necessary because the booth staff’s biggest competition is time. Available Resources Candy is someone who will tell you everything she knows. Her website has an exhibitor’s resources page with everything from surveys and checklists to templates and show plans. Fees Candy charges $140/hour, with a 4-hour minimum of $280/hour. Most of her clients save more than her fee when outsourcing her services. Final Advice Candy has two words: Strategize and Prioritize. Why are you going to the trade show? Keep focused on the ROI, ROO and ROR and then prioritize spending. Know what is going to happen at the trade show before you go to see an exhibitor company. If you don’t, the exhibitor is likely to sell you something that is aesthetically pleasing, but functionally awful. Connect with Candy Phone: 760.271.0366 Email: candyadams@boothmom.com LinkedIn: @candyadamstheboothmom Twitter: @theboothmom Website: www.boothmom.com
On this episode of Brandstorm, Co-hosts Dan Trzinski and Nancy Christopher are joined by Rob Brennan and Tyler Schmidt, two digital marketing specialists at Platypus Advertising + Design, to talk about geofencing and OTT. We’ll find out the benefits to marketers and how it is used in advertising. What is Geofencing and OTT? Geofencing uses location-based technology, like GPS or WiFi, with mobile devices like your smart phone to serve messages to consumers within a targeted geography or area of high relevance. A geofence is a virtual perimeter around a real-world geography. It could be one or more physical locations like a store, a zip code or even the addresses of those on an email list. When someone with a mobile device enters that targeted location, the geofence acts as a trigger to serve an ad. Its uses in advertising are endless...from promoting a product or service with special discounts or offers and encouraging visitors to go to a special attraction to inviting people to your booth at a trade show or pampering your fans with loyalty rewards, for example. OTT stands for “over-the-top,” the term used for the delivery of film and TV content via the internet, without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV service like a Comcast or Time Warner Cable. OTT and Geofencing work well together. You can set up fences within homes with streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire. Advertisers can follow consumers based on specific demographics and criteria no matter what they are watching. Benefits of Geofencing Relevancy and value are the biggest benefits of geofencing, according to Rob. If you have done your homework and know your target audience, it is possible to serve the right message to the right person at the right time. The more defined your target audience is, the more relevant your message will be to them. Value is also significant. Geofencing allows marketers to deliver massive amounts of impressions to targeted audiences at a fraction of cost of traditional media. In the Milwaukee area, the cost is typically between $7 to $10 per thousand, but it will vary in other markets. Targeting Audiences While advertisers can target customers using demographics like age, gender and household incomes, Tyler says geofencing enables you to dive deeper using contextual search, interests and purchasing, browsing and behavioral history. With this criterion, advertisers can get specific. For instance, if you are in a car wreck, you might receive messages from a rental car company, a car dealer, an auto shop, or a personal injury attorney. Privacy Issues Your phone is a GPS unit. While you can limit the number of in-phone apps you are using, you can never be completely off the radar. Smart phones can still be tracked even if all location services and GPS have been turned off. If you want complete privacy, Rob suggests that you buy a burner phone. Questions to Ask Your Geofencing Vendors There are a lot of media outlets, including television stations, radio stations, billboard companies and newspapers, getting into geofencing as an extra revenue stream. There is nothing wrong with this, however you may be spending more for your services going through second, third and fourth parties who are reselling the service. Ad agencies, like Platypus, have direct access to data providers. Secondly, digital marketing in general is not the primary service these media outlets provide. Ad agencies, like Platypus, have digital marketing specialists like Rob and Tyler, whose sole responsibilities are working with you to develop campaign strategies and manage your ad accounts every day. So, here are two important questions to ask your potential vendor: What is your company’s core business? What is your access to the data provider’s inventory? Are there any limits or competitive disadvantages when bidding on the inventory? ROI Geofencing can be easily tracked based on what you need to measure success, be it the number of impressions, click-thru-rates or number of conversions. The real exciting point is that it answers an advertiser’s question of whether a consumer has seen an ad and responded. It can actually track a potential customer going into your business and making a transaction. And geofencing works no matter what size your company is. For as little as $2,000/month, you can achieve amazing results. Connect with Rob and Tyler Rob Brennan: Email: rob@platypus-ad.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertpbrennan/ Tyler Schmidt: Email: tyler@platypus-ad.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-schmidt-18306a28/
About Gary Lancina Gary Lancina is no stranger to marketing. Prior to joining Mercury Marine in 2016, Gary worked for SC Johnson’s marketing department. Gary promoted personal care brands using a strategy known as influencer marketing. Influencer marketing involves a forming a relationship with an influential person to strengthen a brand’s identity on social media or in-person. Gary has established a wealth of these relationships, from connections in the automotive field to minor league hockey teams and the NFL. Gary currently serves as senior director of Global Brand and Influencer Marketing Strategy at Mercury Marine. Authentic Agendas Gary says that influencer marketing is all about creating productive, mutually beneficial relationships with potential customers. Utilizing well-vetted influencers within an industry has proven to be an ethical and successful way to increase awareness and product sales. Finding appropriate influencers are both an art and a science. Gary explains that when scouring social media for new relationships, individuals with a big following aren’t always the most sought-after trait. While finding someone who emits a trustworthy, authentic perspective is crucial, you also have to carefully look at their audience’s characteristics. Having an overly bloated or broad follower base can lead to weaker engagements or an inappropriate demographic altogether. Connecting with Influencers When Gary first began utilizing influencer marketing, he created relationships through the use of agencies who helped broker introductions. The influencers many of these agencies brought in weren’t always in tune with the demographics Mercury Marine was looking for. Gary says in marine sporting, history or legacy in an activity or industry is the key to reaching the audience you are catering to. The smaller population of advocates and enthusiasts with marine interests isn’t as cutthroat as other fields, making it feasible to introduce relationships and opportunities to specific people without the use of an agency. Gary says that once a strong relationship is formed with an influencer, other leads follow in the form of referrals. Local Influencers Mercury Marine’s reputation and legacy helps reach everyday people who fit the profile of the company’s influencers. Whether it be fishing guide services or pro fisherman, most enthusiasts are familiar with the Mercury brand. Creating relationships with these earnest, local aficionados can be tremendously successful in stimulating awareness, loyalty and purchases in many regions. The person-to-person contact initiated by on-the-ground advocacy is just as important as positioning a brand alongside a popular online influencer. Maintaining Relationships The nature of influencer marketing requires establishing and maintaining relationships. Gary says keeping open and clear channels of communication is crucial. Hearing the perspective of an influencer and keeping an open dialogue about the relationship also helps prolong and strengthen a relationship. Gary says the longevity of relationships is extremely important, and at Mercury Marine some of these connections have lasted for decades. Success Metrics Social platforms allow for content-creators to access a bounty of valuable statistics and data. Analytics like click-throughs, views, screen-time, sources of traffic, activation methods and location data help determine the effectiveness of the relationship. Tools like Crimson Hexagon also give detailed insights into demographics and audiences. Location analytics allow a detailed look into how word-of-mouth and social posting alone can generate buzz in a region. In all cases, building trust and evoking feelings for your brand without diluting the integrity of your brand is certainly considered a measurement for success. Connect With Gary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glancina/
How do you keep a business going, when your service or product is seasonal? David Lepak owns a pest control service called Mosquito Joe of Waukesha County. He shares his journey to buying a franchise and building a customer base of 600 in the first year. About Dave and Lynn Lepak Lynn is a registered nurse and Dave is a recovering politician. After downsizing their home, the couple wanted to get into a business where they could help people. The idea for getting into the Mosquito business came after throwing a party on their new outdoor deck. As the sun started to go down, the mosquitos came out, forcing everyone to go inside their smaller home. After that experience, the Lepak’s learned the mosquito was a dangerous predator, causing the most deaths in the world. They also discovered mosquito control was a “thing.” They originally worked with a pest control franchisor that proved to be non-responsive to their needs. Then, they discovered Mosquito Joe and became the first Mosquito Joe franchise in Wisconsin in 2018. Mosquito Joe Mosquito Joe has just under 300 franchisees in the U.S. and they all treat only mosquitos. The company has a Barrier Spray Program that uses three products. The first product is sprayed around the property’s problem areas to deter flying pests. A second product is sprayed on foliage to kill mosquitos, followed by a third spray that inhibits reproduction. The first treatment eliminates 75 to 80 percent of all mosquitos, and more than 90 percent by the third treatment. Treatments typically last three weeks, so having a regular treatment program is best. All Mosquito Joe products are low toxicity, but there are also all-natural products available made from garlic extract or rosemary and peppermint that have no toxicity but are not as effective. The Mosquito Joe Difference David says the real difference in his pest control service from competitors is customer service. The company spends lots of time with its customers finding out how they use their backyard so that they can be effective. Mosquitos are the only thing Dave’s company treats, so they strive to be the best at mosquito control. Running a Seasonal Service Mosquito season in Wisconsin may only be 5 months max, but according to Dave, it’s a year-round business. During the off-season, David spends the time evaluating the last season and making improvements, maintaining vans and equipment, restocking products and marketing materials, and updating customer lists. While profit margins take a hit in the off-season, Dave keeps revenues coming by offering attractive deals for customers who renew and new customers who sign up for the next season in advance. Staffing is also a challenge in a seasonal business, although David typically targets college students and places a heavy emphasis on training. Advice for Franchise Seekers If you’re looking into purchasing a franchise business of your own, David has this advice: Call as many franchisees as you can and make sure you get answers to all of your questions Do some vetting of your own regarding the leadership team, finding out how long the organization has been in business, how much turnover there has been within the company and what kind of operations and marketing support it provides the franchisee Get to know the franchisor and support staff by visiting the headquarters Understand the franchise contract in totality because you can’t change it Be passionate about your business. Don’t just dial it in. Connect with David Lepak Phone: 262-232-7570 Email: waukeshacounty@mosquitojoe.com Facebook: @MosquitoJoeofWaukeshaCounty Website: https://waukeshacounty.mosquitojoe.com/
Out of Home (OOH) advertising continues to get creative, finding more ways to be where people are conducting everyday activities. On this episode of Brandstorm, Dan and Nancy talk Jake Johnson, VP & national sales director at All Over Media in Minneapolis to find out what’s new in OOH ads. OOH Advertising OOH, or outdoor media, is advertising that reaches consumers while they are outside their homes. It focuses on connecting with people while they are on the go in public places…on mobile vehicles that include trains, trucks and buses, wallscapes, gas stations, and in waiting rooms, bars and, bathrooms. Highly visual and strategic, OOH has the advantage of being where people are at, while traditional media is more passive. People aren’t always able to read the newspaper, watch TV or listen to the radio. In addition, OOH is beneficial to advertisers in cities and communities that are heavily zoned, as in Washington, D.C., or have changing landscapes, as in L.A. or Malibu. All Over Media Headquartered in Minneapolis, All Over Media offers a variety of OOH assets that target people during their daily lifestyle activities. The company has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and Seattle, and has recently expanded in Canada and France. Creative OOH Uses The use of OOH is typically creative-driven. While some clients come in with an idea using OOH, Jake says All Over Media often serves as a consultant, offering recommendations based on the markets and target audiences. OOH continues to evolve and is beginning to be more interactive with consumers. During NBC’s Billboard Music Awards, for example, an ad for Ariana Grande’s latest release involved the use of a hand-painted mural at the street level featuring a live, social influencer in the music industry, named Alicia. Jake believes the more consumers can touch, feel and experience an ad, the better, so we will be seeing more ads using 3-D printing and more interaction with ad itself. The use of ads that interact with social influencers and social media will be more prevalent in the future. Pricing OOH Jake says pricing varies depending on the market and OOH format. The company will typically use cost-per-thousands or CPMs or use comparison pricing with similar OOH formats. Other OOH pricing, like gas station ads, are simplified using a collection of averages for numerous locations. Multiple gas stations, for example, would be priced the same per unit despite its location. Connect with Jake Email: jake.johnson@allovermedia.com Phone: 612-327-5225 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jake.johnson2 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-johnson-3a44322/
To be relevant in business, it’s all about the customer experience. On this episode of Brandstorm, Dan and Nancy talk to a man who makes a living keeping people happy. Joe Bravo is the Bars and Entertainment Director at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego and is responsible for creating memorable experiences for guests. About Joe Bravo Prior to coming to San Diego a few months ago, Joe worked at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, where he oversaw the iconic Rehab Beach Club. Joe started his career working at Studio 54 in Vegas at the height of the nightclub boom. He went on to work for Pure Management Group in Vegas and the MGM Grand in Detroit, before joining Hard Rock. Creating a Memorable Experience Every Hark Rock Hotel has its own personality. Las Vegas is a gunfight because of the extreme competition. There is literally gigantic entertainment on every corner. San Diego is more laid back; however, Joe is hoping to bring some of that high-octane entertainment to the city with beach parties, pool concerts and parties that encompass the entire hotel. According to Joe, creating a memorable experience starts with boots on the ground and hiring a great line level staff. It’s Hard Rock’s best recruitment tool, best advertising and best road to success. Second, that line level staff must be trained and given the knowledge to let guests know what’s going on at the property. There’s nothing more frustrating to Joe than creating these great experiences and not having the information channel down to the line level. If you don’t have a good line level staff, you will never be successful. Hard Rock Hotel Customer Personas Joe says Hard Rock is the fourth strongest brand in the world, especially in Europe. The organization has five types of customers: people who come to buy Hard Rock pins, t-shirts and other memorabilia; people who are loyal to the brand; people who remember the Hard Rock of their youth; people who recognize Hard Rock as a trendy brand that always has something going on; and more recently, people who enjoy the nightlife, pool concerts and parties. Joe is currently focusing on San Diego’s beach club, called Sunburn. Sunburn attracts 1,500 to 2,000 people every Saturday with a pool party featuring world-class DJs. Ideation Those great experiences and parties at Hard Rock are typically initiated by internal staff, however sometimes they do get help from two companies in San Diego, called RMD and Party Naked. Joe says most events are planned four months in advance and start with determining what kind of guests they want to attract, then circling in on the talent and figuring out how to get people there. Capturing Great Images To capture the energy and excitement at Hard Rock events, Joe always has a great photographer onsite. When staged events are needed, they go for the best lighting, atmosphere and weather available. Nothing is ever contrived or overproduced. Images must look organic. Lastly, you have to have talent. You need the best people onboard planning and taking the images. Customer Feedback Customer feedback is Joe’s life’s blood. After all, people only remember the very special and bad experiences. Joe focuses on the bad experiences because it is his opportunity to turn a customer into a longtime fan. While the customer is not always right, you can never tell the customer he or she is wrong. The key is to pivot and turn a bad experience into a positive one. Ninety percent of all complaints are fixable and controllable, so this is the cornerstone of Joe’s management style. What frustrates him the most is not knowing about a problem until it’s too late to do anything. His mantra for room managers is too never let any complaint get off the deck. Deal with complaints in the rooms, because if they get to the front desk, it’s over. At Hard Rock, the mission is to have every guest leave with a great story to tell back home. It has been said that 80 percent of CEOs believe they deliver a superior customer experience, but only 8 percent of customers agree. To combat this problem, Joe says upper management needs to spend more time on the floor engaging with guests and employees. Inspect what you expect is another Joe Bravo mantra. Secret shopping, sometimes using outside services or planting friends on the property, is another way to find out if employees are following policies. However, employees can often sniff out a secret shopper, so it is still recommended for management to spend more time on the floor. Taking the Good with the Bad As you can imagine, Joe loves his job. Who wouldn’t enjoy making people happy, right? The hardest part of his job, though, is time management. Sometimes there is just not enough time in a day to plan, create and execute great experiences, while carrying on the day-to-day responsibilities. And when any event is over, Joe says its critical to be a “Monday morning quarterback” to determine what went well, what didn’t and how things can be improved. His staff typically meets four days after an event, so they have time to rest, digest what happened and come up with fresh ideas. People want to be entertained and that can happen anywhere. Joe says people will flock to the out of the way and unexpected places if once they get there, they enjoy their experience. You just need to know and then deliver what people are looking for in any market. To quote the movie Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come. Connect with Joe Email: joe.bravo@hardrock@hardrockhotelsd.com Phone: 702-810-8996 Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Hard Rock San Diego
An educated and knowledgeable employee is a happier employee, according to our guest on this edition of Brandstorm. Kyle Lacy is the VP of marketing at Lessonly, a modern team-building software company based in Indianapolis. The company provides online training software for those in sales, customer service, and any other customer-facing role. Its biggest customers include the retail, telecom and software industries. The Six Pillars of Training The mission at Lessonly is to help people do better work so they can live better lives. In most cases, companies supply Lessonly with training information and materials, while Lessonly provides the platform for learning. The customer experience is what makes any company relevant. Kyle says the three most important steps to training success is for employees to be able to learn, practice and perform. The software not only offers training lessons, but it also enables employees to repeatedly practice what they’ve learned right within the app. Management can then review and provide immediate feedback about the employee’s performance. Conversely, leaders within an organization must be able to plan, build and assess an effective training program. Companies provide Lessonly with what they want to accomplish and Lessonly makes it happen through numerous training tools, including video, email pitches, ZenDesk tickets, audio for phone calls and open practicing. According to Kyle, the biggest measurement of how well Lessonly’s software works is in the onboarding process, where the time it takes to train new employees can be cut in half. Do Better Work Book to be Released in February At Lessonly, employees live the brand every day, marketing the company from the inside out. The company’s CEO and President are both only 30 years old and according to Kyle, wise beyond their years in how they care about employees. In February, Lessonly will release a book based largely on the soft skills that they practice and their approach to leadership, including vulnerability, appreciative inquiry and comradery. To sign up to receive a copy, go to the company’s website, lessonly.com, and click on the “Do Better Work” page. Connect with Kyle Email: kyle.lacy@lessonly.com LinkedIn: @kylelacy Twitter: @kyleplacy Company Website: www.lessonly.com Company LinkedIn: @lessonly Company Twitter: @lessonly
Bike Share programs have been popping up all over the U.S. In some cases, bike sharing has become necessary because motor traffic is too dense in the city, or there is a parking space shortage, like in Milwaukee. On this episode of Brandstorm, Executive Director Sally Sheperdson talks about the bike share program in Milwaukee, called Bublr. Started in 2014, Bublr’s affinity and awareness in the community is through the roof. Bublr Beginnings The concept of bike sharing is simple enough. Anyone can pick up a bike at a bike station, ride it to anywhere in the city, then return it to a bike station, where someone else can use the bike again. According to Sally, Bublr was the brainchild of three locals. Two are avid bikers and the other is a community organizer. Bike share programs have a variety of funding models, but they wanted Milwaukee’s to be a nonprofit...a program of and for the community. The original name was Midwest Bike Share, which was incorporated legally with the IRS, but everyone wanted something different…a name that was short, catchy and memorable. With the help of local ad agencies and marketing professionals, the second name they came up with was Mke Bikes. It still wasn’t good enough. The group eventually agreed on Bublr, which is an insider reference to something only Milwaukeeans would know (water fountains are affectionately called bubblers in this town). It also links the program to water, something Milwaukee has in abundance. Even the color, which is a signature Robin egg blue (Wisconsin’s official state bird), connotes water. Cost Structure The Milwaukee area currently has 87 bike stations and 700 bikes, however, with additional grants, Sally says they should have more than 1,000 bikes by 2020. Ninety percent of the funding for Bublr comes from the four municipalities it serves, including Milwaukee, the Village of Shorewood, Wauwatosa, and West Allis. Each community has received federal dollars from grants that stem from clean air and alternative transportation initiatives. The remaining 10 percent comes from corporate donations and promotion. Since Bublr is a non-profit, it is not able to charge the true cost of the program, so prices range from $4 for 30 minutes to $15 for a monthly pass with unlimited 60-minute rides to $80 for the year. An $8 access pass is available to participants in Milwaukee’s food share and housing authority programs and a 24-hour, $24 pass has recently been launched. Bublr has also come up with an integrated transit pass for the bus and bikes call Buslr. Responsible Citizenry While there have been a few thefts and some vandalism to the bikes, Sally says it is rare. People recognize the blue bikes as Bublr and will report where they are when they see them. The kiosks also have computers that let the Bublr shop know when bikes should come in for maintenance, and if anyone runs into any trouble, like a flat tire, all they need to do is text Bublr and someone will come and get them. Looking to the Future Sally says her main goal is sustainability and growth. A national statistic claims the best distance between bike stations is 1500-ft. because most people don’t want to walk any farther. That leaves a lot of room for growth in Milwaukee. And unfortunately, federal funding only goes to communities that apply for the grants, so there are a lot of gaps between cities. Connect with Sally Sheperdson Phone: 414-530-3785 Email: sally@bublrbikes.org LinkedIn: @sallysheperdson Twitter: @sallybublr Website: www.bublrbikes.org
Are you confident enough to know what to say in a crucial moment? On this episode of Brandstorm, our guest will help you speak and be heard. Julie Loeding is a certified corporate trainer of “Crucial Conversations” and a management and marketing instructor at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), as well as a former Miss Wisconsin. What’s a Crucial Conversation? A crucial conversation can happen at the workplace or in your personal life and evokes strong emotions, has high stakes and involves opposing opinions. It is also the name of a book, training program, and certification created by Vital Smarts, a global leadership training provider out of Utah. Its researchers spent 35 years studying and identifying the best performers within organizations and how they effectively handled different situations. That wisdom has been parlayed into a bestselling book and 16-hour training program. The Anatomy of a Crucial Conversation In most organizations, Crucial Conversations start with senior leadership and then filter down through the entire company. Every organization has problems, but Julie says the most successful ones talk about them. According to Julie, you must separate emotions from the facts and start with heart. What do want for yourself, the other person, your relationship or company? It forces you to take the focus off yourself. Time, place and safety are also important for conversations. Julie admits her favorite place is in the car where there is no opportunity to escape, but if you are in a meeting and see someone is shutting down, smiling or getting angry, stop and address that emotion. Ask them what they are feeling. Be tentative in your actions and ask for feedback. For example, “I’ve told you some of my concerns. Now I’d like to hear from you.” At that point, be quiet and listen. You can also try priming, which involves asking a question in different ways. You can solve problems faster when the conversations are open and end with an action plan. Lastly, Julie says there are conversations that can end up in a downward spiral, where emotions derail the conversation. In these cases, stop and step out of that conversation. Take a timeout. Acknowledge that things are not going well and perhaps start over or apologize or try contrasting by pointing out your original intent versus what just happened. Why Crucial Conversations? Julie endorses Crucial Conversations because of its real-life scenarios, online components, videos and tools to help organizations and individuals work through difficult situations. The 16 hours can be done intensely over a couple of days or over several weeks depending on the organization’s schedule. Costs are typically determined by the number of attendees and the trainers’ fees. Connect with Julie Loeding LinkedIn: @juliealoeding Phone: 262-691-5317 Email: jloeding@wctc.edu Vital Smarts: https://www.vitalsmarts.com/
John Kuehl’s biggest argument with his wife was deciding where to eat. According to John, you can search the Internet to find just about any product, but when it comes to food, you get a list of places. That got him thinking, what if you could search what kind of food you wanted? Better yet, what if you could articulate what you were in the mood for - something that’s comforting, gluten-free or savory? John’s answer was a new website called Hankr.com. He joins us on #Brandstorm to talk about how he hopes someday hungry people will say, “let’s Hankr that.” The Hankr Way Different than a review-based platform like Yelp, Hankr puts food first. It’s an aggregator that helps you in the early stages of the decision process. Hankering for tacos? Search the internet and you’ll get dozens of pictures of tacos. Click on the picture and you’ll discover where you can go to get that taco. Hankr offers true-to-life, quality and consistent visual representations of the food that you will see at that restaurant every day. Helping the Restaurateur John is on a mission to help destination marketers, restaurant owners, hoteliers, sports venues and resorts be more successful. He formerly worked at TravelWisconsin.com and says that while food venues are valuable content for Destination Marketers, getting restaurants to provide content and assets for a community’s website is challenging. Restaurants must be on Yelp, but John adds they are losing attention and search traffic to Google. Hankr is countering by providing unique, relevant content that is a better experience for visitors. Depending on a food venue or restaurant’s needs and capabilities, John’s company can provide the photographers, shoot photography and do all the content and tagging on the website. Hankr also partners with Eat Street (a Madison-based food delivery service) to provide food delivery in the markets it serves, including Milwaukee, Madison, Minocqua and Cedarburg in Wisconsin, plus Richmond, Va., New Brunswick, Conn., and others. Connect with John Kuehl Email: john@hankr.com Website: https://www.hankr.com LinkedIn: @johnkuehl
In the heyday of bowling, Milwaukee was known as America’s “Ten Pin Capitol”. When enthusiasts weren’t out playing for fun or in leagues, they were at home, tuned in to the Professional Bowler Association (PBA) tour on ABC. When the popularity of the sport began to wane near in 1980s, bowling alleys closed shop and took once-thriving leagues with them. Although the golden age of bowling has long passed, the Commissioner of the PBA, Tom Clark, believes it is making a comeback. State of the PBA Tom Clark is celebrating his tenth year as commissioner of the PBA and still has the same enthusiasm for the sport as the first day he played. Every Wednesday, Tom plays in his own league, playing alongside his peers. Early on, his peers may have been intimidated by who he is, but Tom believes his peers just view him as a fellow bowling enthusiast.It is no secret that league attendance is down. In today’s world, our lifestyles aren’t conducive to the commitments needed to participate in a 36-week bowling league. In 1997, the decline of the sport’s popularity affected its once gargantuan media presence when ABC ended its relationship with the PBA Tour.Upgrading PBA’s Image The PBA recognized the need to modernize bowling’s image to appeal to a variety of lifestyles and began to curate its image to make both the watching and playing experience more desirable. Upgrades to bowling centers, improved accessibility to the sport on television and streaming platforms, as well as the promotion of entertaining events have all helped bring the sport back into the limelight. Tom says over 70 million Americans bowl at least once a year and more than 25 million bowl more than once a year.In 2000, the PBA Tour franchise was purchased by some prominent members of the tech industry. Chris Peters, of Microsoft, was such a fan of the PBA, he partnered with two other members of the tech industry to give the dwindling sport a second wind. Tom says if it wasn’t for them, bowling wouldn’t exist as it does today. Relationships with media outlets such as ESPN flourished while aggressive investments to the league's infrastructure and venues were made. But, it wasn’t just the money that helped modernize the league. The advantage of having tech-oriented owners allowed the league to implement a variety of high-tech upgrades in the early 2000s. One of the paid services, Extra Frame, reached over 10,000 subscribers at its peak. A New LookTom says his job changes every day. This year, his primary directive was to elevate PBA’s media rights and find partners in the digital and TV world. Moving from ESPN to FOX was one of the largest transitions resulting from his goals.Not only has the sport’s media presence evolved, but the way of playing the sport has as well. Players like Jason Belmonte are leading the charge with new playing styles, using two hands to throw their ball. New, upgraded bowling centers are also evolving, offering appealing amenities like craft cocktails and awesome lighting setups, encouraging curious bowlers to join a league. Tom tells us part of the inspiration for the PBA’s aesthetic overhaul comes from the lively Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. The PBA is committed to bringing pro bowlers to non-traditional bowling venues like Bayside Bowl to keep the events fresh and exciting around the country. What’s Next for the PBA? Like most sports, player sponsorships are a large aspect of the bowling business. Tom tells us why he thinks PBA players are an untapped market for corporate sponsorships. One goal Tom has set for the PBA is for every player to eventually have an agent.Tom also discusses the frustrations of bowling being barred from the Olympics. Despite having a strong chance to participate in the 2020 Tokyo games, primarily because of the sport’s popularity in Japan, the Olympic committee opted to include sports like surfing and roller-sports instead of bowling. Despite not being in the Olympics, Tom is proud of the PBA’s partnership with World Bowling, an international organization recognized by the Olympic Committee as the official governing body for bowling sports. Tom says the PBA World Series of Bowling remains a popular broadcast and the best evidence that bowling should be included in the Olympics.Connect with Tom Clark PBA Website: https://www.pba.com/ PBA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pbaofficial/ Tom Clark Email: tom.clark@pba.com Tom Clark Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarkPBA Tom Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-clark-9486824/
This week’s Brandstorm guest is a globally-recognized speaker on leadership, culture and marketing, the author of “The Content Book” and the CEO of Marketing Insider Group. His marketing prowess has captured the attention of The Guardian, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The Economist. Michael Brenner joins #Brandstorm to talk about content marketing strategies and how marketers can be more engaging with consumers. The Content Pool Contrary to what we may think, Michael says no company suffers from a lack of content. They just need a strategy behind it. Marketers tend to want to promote what they think is awesome about the brand, but not what consumers want. He calls it “marketing myopia,” or useless propaganda. Every product has a need to fulfill and a problem to solve. Brands simply don’t spend enough time talking and gaining trust about the problem, but they do like to talk about the solution they are selling. As brand marketers, we need to spend 98 percent of our time talking about the problem and owning it. The bottom line, be helpful, educate and inform. Content Marketing Tools Michael’s predicted trend for 2019 is to have the ability to personalize content at the right time to the right person. His recommended tools for making content marketing easier are Buzzsumo, which allows you to type in any website or keyword and it will show the most shared content for that site or keyword. He also recommends answerthepublic.com. Click on “content marketing,” type in a keyword and the site will tell you all the who, what, when, where and how questions people are asking about that keyword. Michael also says AI-driven or Power Content Marketing tools are getting a lot of buzz these days. Connect with Michael Brenner Linked In: @michaelbrenner Website: www.marketinginsidergroup.com Facebook: @michael.b.brenner Email: michael_b_brenner@msn.com Twitter: @BrennerMichael
This week’s Brandstorm guest has been in radio for more than 50 years and during much of that time, @John Sebastian was programming radio stations. He’s programmed almost every format, including Top 40, Smooth Jazz, Kick Ass Rock, Country and Classic Rock, and targeted just about every demographic -- 12 to 24, 18-34, 25 to 54 and 35 to 64. John Sebastian joins Brandstorm to talk about his new format for 55+ listeners, a demo he believes is the most undervalued, most underappreciated and in his words, most unexploited demographic in America. The Radio Programming Mastermind John’s peers have called him the radio programming mastermind, but John says the “mastermind” is in his mix of music. He thinks of himself as more of a “radio programming contrarian.” He’s always been a rebel in radio programming, taking the road less traveled when formatting music. When he programmed Top 40 music in the late 60s, he’d pepper the mix with edgier music like “Cashmere” by Led Zeppelin, added New Age and European Electric music to the Smooth Jazz format or played Jackson Browne, Bob Seger and The Eagles on Country stations. Formatting for the 55+ Demo John says his age, experience and success in programming makes him the perfect person to come up with a format for the 55+ demo, which is primarily those who are age 55 to 72. A Baby Boomer himself, John says historians call 1968 and 1969, when he started in radio as a deejay, the best years in music history. During the 70s, John programmed Top 40 music for the 12-24 demo, who were also boomers. In the 80s, he programmed Kick Ass Rock, for 18 to 34-year-olds. By the 80s and 90s, John was formatting for the 25-54 demo on a New Age and Classic Rock station. As the Boomers continued to age, John found himself programming for a Country station targeting 35-64-year-olds. He literally grew up working for the Baby Boomer generation. Marketing to Radio Stations Having just started to sell his format to radio stations, John can’t divulge much about his 55+ mix, although you certainly get the picture. And while he faces many challenges, the biggest being talking to young executives in their 30s who don’t yet see the potential and finding many radio stations unable to invest in new formats due to heavy debt loads, John is optimistic. He believes the 55+ format will help radio execs and ad agencies return to the days when they made money. The Baby Boomers are the largest age population, next to the Millennials, but the Boomers have the most wealth and they grew up listening to radio. On the surface, this all makes perfect sense, right? Listen in to hear more. Connect with John Sebastian Phone: 480-305-3962 Website: johnsebastianvoice.com Email: johnsebvoice@gmail.com LinkedIn: @john-sebastian
What would you do if your business suddenly lost its largest distribution platform? Brandon Bruce, COO and co-founder of Cirrus Insight, was thrown a curve when his company’s application was removed from the SalesForce App Exchange, its largest distribution outlet. While this blow might signal the end of most application’s lifecycle, Cirrus Insight’s branding and unique lead generation capabilities kept the app alive and well. What is CRM? Salesforce’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform allows salespeople to track their correspondence with clients, providing them with valuable data about leads, trends and relationship advancement. CRM systems typically require a significant amount of manual data entry, especially in regard to email correspondence. Brandon explains how this additional work required by most CRMs hurts user adoption, ultimately leading to a CRM’s failure. Software Architect and Co-founder Ryan Huff saw an opportunity to develop a Salesforce plugin that automatically maintains record of these communications, while connecting with email and mobile devices without leaving Salesforce. Cirrus Insight Prior to starting Cirrus Path, the parent company of Cirrus Insight, with Ryan Huff, Brandon worked in the advancement department at Maryville College in Tennessee. When Ryan approached Brandon with the idea of Cirrus Insight, Brandon’s background in both sales and CRM systems immediately told him they were onto something. Cirrus Insight lives inside of a browser plugin that automatically transmits data from Google Suite and Office 365’s calendar to the Salesforce ecosystem. Cirrus Insight launched on the Salesforce App Exchange in 2011 with great success, becoming the #1 application ranking on the app exchange for five months in 2012. The massive growth and success of the application even caught the attention of Inc. Magazine, placing them on the Inc. 5000 List three years running, peaking at #41 in 2016. Leaving the App Exchange Despite their high rankings, large userbase and stellar reviews, Cirrus Insight was removed from the Salesforce App Exchange without warning. Brandon shares his thoughts on how companies launching within somebody else’s sandbox should anticipate and prepare for critical situations like this, and how despite losing Cirrus Insights’ biggest distribution platform, it also opened the door to exciting, new opportunities with customers Supporters of Hope One of the greatest satisfactions for Brandon is finding good people with great ideas. Cirrus Path is always looking for the next opportunity, nurturing entrepreneurs primarily in the tech industry, showing them the company’s playbook for success and helping them launch their own businesses. In the tech world where there always seems to be “an app for that” to make life easier, Brandon cautions that this is not always true. Sometimes there’s no replacement for hard work, so you just have to hunker down and do the work, even if it’s manually. To those interested in seeing for themselves what Cirrus Path has to offer, Brandon invites you to be a guest at his weekly company lunch on Fridays if you are in Knoxville, Tenn. Connect with Brandon Bruce LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbruce Email: brandon@cirrusinsight.com Website: https://www.cirrusinsight.com/
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