Brunner News

Washington, D.C. Marketing Services Firm AXIS Becomes Brunner

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:00:00 GMT

2/1/2010

Two Leading Washington, D.C. Firms Join Forces

Brunner CEO Michael Brunner announced that his agency has assumed the clients and staff of Washington, D.C.-based marketing services firm AXIS after the firm’s founder and CEO, Karen Work, decided to relocate to Arizona. Founded in 1991, AXIS amassed an impressive client roster through the years, including leading brands, such as Time Warner Cable Business Class, NASDAQ, Sodexo, Kaiser Permanente, Intelsat General and Unisys.

“Combining our agencies under the Brunner banner adds to the critical mass of our D.C. office and strengthens core services, such as strategy, creative, and account management,” said Brunner. “Brunner clients benefit from added bench strength in key areas, while AXIS clients benefit from an expanded service offering that includes research, digital, public relations, one-to-one and consumer promotional services.”

AXIS President Peter Roth assumes the position of Brunner vice president and managing director of the D.C. office, reporting to Brunner President Scott Morgan. Shaun Quigley remains as vice president and interactive practice director, and Ernie Mosteller remains as creative director. Work plans to stay on for the first 60 days to help manage the transition. The move more than doubles the current Brunner staff based in that office.

“Knowing that AXIS clients and staff are in such great hands was the driving force making this transition possible,” said Work. “This move makes a vastly expanded offering of digital marketing and advertising services an immediate reality to clients, which would have been nearly impossible otherwise. The DC office, under the direction of Peter Roth, is excited by the synergies that this combined team brings to clients.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The satellite office AXIS operates in Pittsburgh is not part of the arrangement.

Brunner’s Washington, D.C.-based clients include American Bankers Association, American Academy of Physicians Assistants, National Association of Broadcasters, CIBT, Career College Association, and American Society of Association Executives.

Brunner entered the Washington, D.C. market in 2003 with the acquisition of direct marketing firm MHI Communications. Today, Brunner’s Washington, D.C. office offers a full range of marketing services.

Why it's time to throw out the 80-20 rule

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT

11/16/2009

By Scott Morgan

Click here to view this article on iMedia Connection.

Every time you look up (from your mobile device), another new way to reach consumers and a new digital mechanism to drive brand messages seems to emerge. But with more than 307 million people in the U.S., and nearly 74 percent of them using the internet, how are we supposed to find success using the Pareto principle and target the 20 percent of consumers who drive 80 percent of the revenue?

Well, you can, but that's not being smarter, faster, or more efficient. In fact, that's traditional advertising. In my world, you achieve results by discovering one-fifth of those people, or 4 percent of your most influential consumers, and targeting them.

This significant digit -- what I like to call the 4-percent factor -- is a strategic targeting principle that forces you to drill deeper into your influencer base to discover the most significant consumers who have the greatest impact on your brand and then speak to them. Through the use of information already available via customer databases, profiling and enhancement data, real-time research, and predictive modeling, it is easier than ever to find those customers who can take your business to the next level. The information is voluminous, and so are the results when you use it to your advantage.

Just imagine being able to weed through a 40,000-person database, only to discover that 4 percent of your taco eaters drive 75 percent of margarita sales. How fast can you hit "send" on their free taco night email?

But why 4-percent? That's the significant digit that rises to the surface in countless studies and program measurements. For instance, Iams Pet Food discovered, via a Catalina Marketing study, the huge impact of just 1 percent of its customer base. LaRosa's restaurants learned about the substantial value of a small universe of its calzone customers.

These examples and others prove time and again that the customers who truly impact your brand (typically characterized as volume, margin, or advocacy) tend to be a relatively smaller number of the whole customer universe than we once believed them to be -- certainly less than 20 percent.

Brands like Yahoo, Pepsi, GNC, and CubCadet are beginning to discover and take advantage of this phenomenon, using transaction and behavior data to sort out their best consumers. In the process, they are targeting specific types of messages via specific channels of communication, from online video and mobile marketing to email and social media. They are using existing data to mine their consumer data stores and find the customers who matter most, because those customers will help build communities around your brand. It's doing business smarter and faster.

So then, how do you find this significant digit?

Start by embracing the concept of the 4-percent factor and think about ways to employ addressable media, digital media, one-to-one marketing and, of course, social media to reach that core 4 percent of consumers who have the greatest propensity to identify and recruit others to your brand franchise.
Take the same consumer data and look for ways to leverage your key messaging and other insights so that the information informs and improves other relevant channels of communication too. Together, these methods will help more people connect with your brand faster.
If you desire to grow a business or product line that can react and adapt more quickly to future opportunities, consider incorporating these specific steps into your strategy:
- Find: Discover and define your main source of volume, margin, or advocacy by tapping into existing customer data. Combine this with outside resources such as enhancement data and details gathered via social media and other research tools.
- Filter: Sift through the data and intelligence by segmenting, profiling, and utilizing predictive modeling to develop a pool of target segments and markets.
- Magnify: Examine, select, and prioritize the top three to five target groups. Test and refine them using research technologies that allow for online focus groups to dig deeper and gather detailed insights, as well as other primary interactions.
- Expand: Build out the selected communities via communications strategies, ranging from display to social media, in order to establish dialog and grow the universe of new entrants and new advocates.

What you'll find is that the 4-percent factor goes well beyond a loyalty strategy. It is really a penetration strategy designed to be a competitive approach to cutting through the quagmire of less influential customers to protect and grow your business. Simply put, start smaller to get bigger faster. It also tends to be a much more sustainable approach than the typical strategy of casting a wide net and going through trials hoping to retain a percentage of new customers.

Today, one thing we all agree on is that brands are built by communities of like-minded individuals who share their brand experiences with friends and those with whom they have some connection. By truly pinpointing those communities -- your markets of business opportunity -- and finding creative ways to get them to help recruit your next customers, you will see more significant and sustainable results.

As fast as digital channels evolve and change, so too do the ways that consumers engage with your brand. The Pareto principle doesn't cut it any more in an age where above- and below-the-line communications have blurred into an infinite number of digital consumer channels. Dive deep into those one-to-one approaches, such as social media, mobile marketing, and proximity marketing, to optimize brand and business building. Soon you will reap the benefits of the 4-percent factor with a smarter, faster and more targeted approach to online consumer engagement.

Scott Morgan is president of Brunner.

Bob Evans Names Brunner as Agency of Record

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT

11/4/2009

Full-Service Agency on Mission to Contemporize Midwest Restaurant Chain and Food Products Brand

Independent, full-service advertising agency Brunner (www.brunnerworks.com) announced today it has been named agency of record for Bob Evans Restaurants and Food Products (www.bobevans.com). The agency won the multimillion-dollar account following a competitive review. The partnership is effective immediately.

“Brunner brings extensive retail and consumer packaged goods experience, cutting-edge ideas and a team that promises the Bob Evans brand exciting new opportunities moving forward,” said Mary Cusick, Senior Vice President, Restaurant Marketing for Bob Evans. “After an extensive search, Brunner proved best in understanding the marketplace and packaging the vision for our future. We are pleased to announce Brunner as our new agency of record.”

Brunner will be responsible for contemporizing Bob Evans’ brand positioning to expand its core customer base via an extensive integrated marketing effort. This includes reinvigorating the homestyle brand’s image to appeal to a younger target audience. In addition to handling rebranding efforts for the brand, Brunner will also develop and implement programs for the food products division.

“Brunner presented holistic thinking that showed us how we could create strong synergies for the Bob Evans brand between the restaurant and food products sides of the business,” said Nancy Cowen, Senior Director of Marketing, Bob Evans Food Products. “This partnership promises to open new doors for us in all aspects of our business.”

“Bob Evans is a company that shares our philosophy of putting people first and establishing industry best practices through quality and innovation,” said Michael Brunner, CEO of Brunner. “We look forward to creating a long-lasting partnership as we help Bob Evans build its brand and grow its business.”

About Bob Evans Farms, Inc.

Bob Evans Farms, Inc. owns and operates full-service restaurants under the Bob Evans and Mimis Café brand names. At the end of the first fiscal quarter (July 24, 2009), Bob Evans owned and operated 569 family restaurants in 18 states, primarily in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States, while Mimis Café owned and operated 144 casual restaurants located in 24 states, primarily in California and other western states. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is also a leading producer and distributor of pork sausage and a variety of complementary homestyle convenience food items under the Bob Evans and Owens brand names. For more information about Bob Evans Farms, Inc., visit the company’s Web site at www.bobevans.com.

Brunner Hires Brand and Package Design Expert Ron Jesiolowski

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/28/2009

Jesiolowski to Strategically Align Agency’s Marketing Communications with Branding, Package Design Program

Independent, full-service advertising agency Brunner (www.brunnerworks.com) announced today the appointment of Ron Jesiolowski to Director of Marketing Services. In this new position, Jesiolowski will build out Brunner’s existing package design program by integrating the agency’s existing arsenal of marketing disciplines to deliver more efficient and strategically aligned marketing communications programs.

“We firmly believe that creativity in all aspects of marketing is the best way to deliver results for our clients,” said Michael Brunner, CEO of Brunner. “Ron’s experience in brand identity and package design will no doubt invigorate our teams and client relationships, as well as bolster our newly formed consumer promotional services group.”

Working collaboratively with Brunner’s award winning team of designers, Jesiolowski will be responsible for the strategic and creative alignment of the agency’s package design offering within Brunner clients’ overall marketing strategies. In this role, he will help teams deliver a new level of consistency and streamlined results to clients.

“In my 30 years in marketing and design communications, I have yet to work with or for an organization with the level of passion, creativity, and diverse expertise as Brunner,” said Jesiolowski. “I’m thrilled to be associated with a team that has so much talent and experience to offer.”

Prior to joining Brunner, Jesiolowski served as Vice President of Business Development and Client Relationships at Source/Inc. An industry veteran, he has also led design and creative development initiatives for Del Monte Foods, GNC and GlaxoSmithKline, where he lead the branding and package design efforts for such popular consumer product offerings as Nicoderm, Tums, Aquafresh, Kibble ‘n Bits, StarKist and Citrucel, among others.

David Lied Hired To Launch Brunner's Consumer Promotional Services Group

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/28/2009

Lied Brings 20 Years of Retail Experience to Expand Agency’s Expertise

Independent, full-service advertising agency Brunner (www.brunnerworks.com) announced today the appointment of David Lied to Vice President, Director of Consumer Promotional Services. In this new position, Lied is set to launch Brunner’s consumer promotional services group, a new initiative designed to expand the agency’s offerings in digital, creative package design and innovative Shopper Marketing strategies for existing and new clients.

“With media fragmentation on the rise and the other challenges to reaching today’s busy consumer mounting every day, marketers must maximize the impact of their messaging at every touchpoint,” said Michael Brunner, CEO of Brunner. “We are energized to have David at the helm driving the development of promotional strategies and implementing programs at the point-of-sale that produce smarter, faster results for our clients.”

The consumer promotional services group will bring added depth to the agency by dedicating new resources to the development of programs that engage consumers with brands right up to the second purchases are made. Lied’s deep roots in retail will help successfully guide the Brunner team and clients into new, innovative strategies that drive traffic and increase sales at the point-of-purchase.

“I’m privileged to join a company with such an established reputation for quality work and cutting-edge thinking,” said Lied. “I’m looking forward to helping Brunner clients capitalize on the agency’s vast internal resources to stimulate sales through innovative promotional strategies.”

Prior to joining Brunner, Lied spent 20 years at Acosta Sales, a leading sales, marketing and service company. His last eight years were spent as Founder and President of MatchPoint Marketing, one of Acosta’s various subsidiaries. He has a diverse portfolio of experience with such leading brands as Heinz, New World Pasta, and Weight Watchers, among others.

How to avoid wasting agency fees

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/15/2009

By Michael Esterin

There's an age-old saying that half the money a brand spends on advertising is wasted. The trouble is nobody knows which half. And while that sentiment may still hold water, it misses the mark somewhat these days. Brands still worry about the "fat" in their media buy, but it's the financial incentives in their agency compensation model that should keep the executives in the C-suite up at night.

After all, the wrong model (from the brand's perspective) could let the agency take the client to the cleaners. It's a common complaint from brands -- generous retainers and deals that give the agency a cut of the brand's media buy fail to closely align client and vendor, and even more worrisome, create a perverse system of incentives that leave the brand with poor results and big bills. Get informed! To learn more about agency issues, attend the iMedia Agency Summit. December 6-9. Learn more about the iMedia Agency Summit.

But the wrong model (from the agency's perspective) can be equally crippling because they put the agency on the hook for delivering (sometimes) impossible results for (often) ridiculously low fees.

So, is there a solution out there that keeps brands and agencies happy? In a word: no. At least there's no silver bullet, one-size-fits-all model that works for brands and agencies alike. But there are solutions, and finding the right model -- one that balances costs for performance and properly aligns incentives -- is the responsibility of both agencies and brand clients alike. So, we asked industry professionals for some advice on how to do just that, and this is what we found.

The good
While there's no single model that works for every situation, there are common elements to all successful compensation agreements. But above all else, says Russel Wohlwerth, principal at Ark Advisors, a consultancy that helps brands search for and hire ad agencies, the key is to strike a deal that is fair for both parties. According to Wohlwerth, agencies and clients need to agree on compensation that is easy to administer and is competitively priced.

It also helps if the agreement calls for some form of a performance-based component, Wohlwerth says. But while many agencies may cringe at the idea of having to align profits with results that are often out of their control, performance-based compensation doesn't have to be nightmare for the agency, if they are able to think outside the proverbial box.

For Barak Kassar, president of Rassak Experience, the perfect performance-based model means equity for the agency.

"Nothing changes a relationship more between client and agency than an equity relationship," Kassar explains. "Wherever possible, brands would benefit from granting or selling meaningful amounts of equity to agencies. And agencies would do well to seek out equity. This makes the agency feel like an owner and act like an owner because they are an owner."

Of course, equity isn't always an option, and Kassar admits that it will never replace fee-for-service entirely. But he says that if shared goals and a true partnership are the real goals for the brand, there's no substitute for equity.

Short of equity, Jay Friedman, a partner and co-founder of Goodway 2.0, advises that any deal that treats the agency as the brand's No. 1 salesperson is likely to yield positive results for all parties because, as he puts it, sales are the "core reason" why a brand hires an agency.

"It helps to begin by seeing an agency as a brand's largest salesperson rather than [as] an 'agent,'" Friedman says. "This takes the focus away from paying for services rendered because those services may or may not generate profitable activity for the brand. With this idea in mind, most salespeople make a healthy base salary but have significant upside to their pay to motivate them to focus their time and energy on ideas and activity that will generate real sales."

But what about the vast majority of relationships that, for better or worse, don't aspire to the ideal? Is fee-for-service still viable?

Maybe
Even if equity is out of the question and a brand refuses to see its agency as its No. 1 sales person (or if an agency isn't comfortable assuming that role), it is still possible to have a strong working relationship using an old-fashioned fee-for-service model, provided there's transparency on both sides of the table.

While Michael Brunner, CEO of Brunner, says he isn't keen on fee-for-service, preferring a value-based approach that compensates an agency for results, he believes there is room to work in a fully transparent fee-for-service model.

"Both sides need transparency for this arrangement to work," Brunner cautions. "Clients need to be more accurate and specific regarding scope of work, objectives, and the amount of rework. Agencies need to articulate the list of deliverables, time frames, and assumptions they used to build the fee and address how it will be monitored."

The bad
While there are a lot of workable facets to a successful compensation model, there are also some ideas that -- while still in widespread use -- tend to be frowned upon because they are often too lopsided.

According to Jeff Berkwits, a former marketing manager at Upper Deck, one often onerous compensation model that always sounds his alarm bell is the commission on media approach.

"One approach that I generally avoid is percent of media, as it encourages an agency to 'spend big' regardless of whether it's appropriate for my needs," Berkwits says.

To that end, any compensation agreement that allows -- or encourages -- an agency to run up the score simply isn't going to work for long. But by the same token, many agencies pointed out that partnerships with a disproportionate amount of risk on the agency weren't feasible either.

The contradictory
"I feel that the fee-for-services model is equal opportunity in that it disadvantages clients just as often as it disadvantages agencies," Wohlwerth says. "Sometimes, clients don't receive all the services they paid for. Sometimes clients have substantial scope creep and agencies do a lot more work than what they got paid for. The fee-for-services model is fundamentally flawed because it is based on 'selling' the agency's costs rather than the outcome of its work. This system does not differentiate between good and bad work. When you're working against the clock, it is in your best interest to eat up a lot of time. It's madness. Lastly, agencies do not do a good of job tracking time, so I am suspicious of their self-reported time -- another reason to abandon this system."

Wohlwerth isn't alone in this. Brunner, who says that fee-for-service can work under the right circumstances, admits that it's really his compensation model of last resort.

"The least preferable option for me is [hourly work]," Brunner says. "Being paid by the hour has zero relevance on the outcome of the services provided. Further, the hourly method does not promote efficiency or effectiveness; it rewards an agency for taking more time, not less, to accomplish the work. It also places equal emphasis on an hour of time regardless how the time was spent."

And where does a brand come down on this?

While Berkwits concedes that there are pros and cons to the fee-for-service model, he says he's not willing to abandon it altogether. In fact, Berkwits says that depending on what the brand needs, fee-for-service can be the best way to keep an eye on costs, especially if the project is a larger, one-shot assignment. But he adds, he's always been open to discussing performance-based models. And for Berkwits' money, it's always going to come down to adjusting on the fly.

"There's no right or wrong compensation model: the best approach really depends upon my needs for a particular project," he says.

Money isn't everything
While we've dedicated a good deal of space to compensation, it's important to keep some perspective on the matter. That is, while money is at the heart of the transaction, it's seldom the determining factor in a brand's decision to hire a particular agency, or at least it shouldn't be, Wohlwerth says.

"It's generally not compensation that causes agencies to lose pitches," Wohlwerth explains. "We seek to neutralize compensation before the finals by getting the agencies to submit costs in advance. That way, agencies are being selected on their own merits -- not their cost. While fees are clearly important, a client that selects an agency solely on price deserves what they get."

But when it comes to price, it pays for an agency to be creative and flexible above all else. While Berkwits says he understands that it's often hard to bend on the money issue, he points out that agencies that can't, or won't, step into the brand's shoes will surely lose the client.

"Very often I have had agencies express to me how we're partners in whatever project we're undertaking, yet when it comes time to discuss compensation, they're inflexible," Berkwits says. "I understand that both parties need to profit, but starting off extremely rigid sends a signal that's often at odds with the collaborative sentiments otherwise being expressed. If they can't at least think creatively about compensation, then I begin to suspect they may not be able to think as creatively as I might like about my brand."

Brunner Chief Digital Officer Rick Gardinier Shares His Thoughts on Social Media and the G20 Buzz

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/6/2009

How Pittsburgh Fared Among G20 Buzz

The Effect of Social Media When the World's on its Doorstep

By Rick Gardinier

As a long time resident of Pittsburgh, I was excited to learn that the G20 Summit was going to be held here. International exposure like that can only be positive for Pittsburgh's image, right? You'd think so.

But depending on who you asked prior to its arrival, there were many who feared the worst. Even with reports like the one from GlobalPittsburgh.org, stating that the value of the international publicity from G20 exceeded $100 million before a single dignitary arrived, a shadow of doubt existed among many of the locals.

But what does all of this have to do with digital marketing? Well, the whole conversation got me thinking that despite the myriad of "Best Places to Live" honors over the past 15 years (from publications like "The Economist" and "Forbes"), Pittsburgh remains a challenger brand.

We all know in today's world that online word-of-mouth and social media conversations can quickly impact a brand's reputation. So as social media practitioners, we put our tools in motion to analyze the conversations and help us get a pulse on the situation.

What we learned in Pittsburgh was a bit surprising. The volume of social media conversations was much lower than expected and user-generated opinions were not as prevalent. Did this mean that people didn't care about G20? Or did it mean that the typical practitioners of social media were getting their news elsewhere? Not sure. But one thing is -- G20 generated major buzz for Pittsburgh. Our tools monitored almost 40,000 posts over the 2-day period, which compared to only hundreds of posts during the days leading up to the G20 Summit.

Although it will be a few months before we realize the full effect of G20 on the Pittsburgh brand, these conversations helped us conclude:

The overall conversation about Pittsburgh was elevated tremendously even when G20 specific topics were not part of the conversation. And many of those conversations were international in nature -- nine different languages were tracked with French and Spanish being the most prevalent.
The positive (good) comments outpaced the negative (bad) comments by at least a 2 to 1 margin. Many positive comments related to the city's preparation for the event, major venues (like the Warhol Museum) and the city in general. The negative comments seemed to center around highly localized issues like traffic, parking and protests.
Interestingly, major venues for G20 events benefited most from blog mentions and comments, while the protester conversations were being fueled by micro-blogging services such as Twitter.

Our two days of monitoring also reminded us of several best practices that are easy to lose sight of when things are morphing so quickly:

Start listening to your relevant conversations now. It takes time to gain true learnings. Listen to your worst critics and learn from them.
Put someone in charge of your social media strategy so that they can be thinking proactively at all times to capitalize on a major, traffic-driving, newsworthy event when appropriate. Jumping in at the last minute doesn't work. Phipps Conservatory -- where the opening reception dinner was held –- was prepared with a full, online presence touting their green and sustainability initiatives.
Get your IT infrastructure in order so that you can incorporate a Twitter feed, or push out your agenda via RSS at a moment's notice.
Find a way to incorporate a strong point-of-view into your organization's blog. If done right, it can become one of your most heavily-trafficked tools in this scenario.
Modify your price-per-click (PPC) campaign to take advantage of the buzz. UPMC, a leading healthcare provider was the only firm we saw that purchased paid G20 related Google ads. This was smart because Google had 10 times as many searches as there were social media posts.

In the end, the G20 Summit served to remind us that in today's world, all marketers need to have a well-thought-out social media strategy in place. It's simply no longer an option not to. Will you be ready when the world shows up on your doorstep?

Rick Gardinier is senior VP-chief digital officer at independent, full-service agency Brunner, whose clients include GSK consumer brands, Cub Cadet outdoor power equipment, Golf Pride club grips and Zippo lighters, among others. Follow him on Twitter @gardinier and @BRUNNERworks.

SmartBusiness reporter Brooke Bates interviews Brunner CEO Michael Brunner

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/2/2009

On the Same Page

How to align with your customers' needs

By Brooke Bates

Michael J. Brunner knows his clients feel the pinch of the economy. And he wants to avoid their cutting-room floors.

So the CEO of Brunner, an advertising agency with 185 employees, needs to make sure he's meeting clients' needs. That comes from aligning his efforts with their expectations.

"Every client has different needs," says Brunner, whose company saw $24 million in 2008 revenue. "So it's incumbent on us to make sure that we are doing the best job we can to make sure we know exactly what those needs are."

Smart Business spoke to Brunner about aligning yourself with your clients' needs.

Q. How do you stay aware of clients' needs?

It's always a discussion. If we can't get it to be crystal clear, we will keep asking questions. We will ask them, ‘What is it that you're trying to accomplish? What do you want your marketing to do? Where do you feel that it has come up short?' Those are all exploratory questions, which will ultimately lead us to what we are trying to do. The whole point of this discussion is to be connected to them at that point.

And, of course, everything's annualized. So I'm not talking [about] the vision of the company, ‘Where do you want to be in three years?' That's helpful in a discussion, but what I'm focusing on is this year — what is it that you need to do; what is it that you want to do?

Q. How do you align yourself with your clients' needs?

It significantly improves the relationship if you both have the same objectives. So what we try to do is link part of our compensation to the company's main objective or initiative. In doing so, you have perfect alignment and you're not cross-purposed.

Part of that compensation is based exactly on how we have performed for you. It's two-way; they rate us, and we rate them. A relationship is just that — it's more than one person. If the evaluation just goes in one direction, I don't think it's nearly as beneficial. That allows for constructive criticism from each side, and that's a way of definitely improving how you work.

When we first start working with the client, we explain our approach. So it's not as though we get into this and then it's a curveball and they're not familiar with it. You could define service a hundred different ways, so what if your definition and my definition are extremely far apart? It forces you to have that discussion upfront about what is it that we're trying to accomplish. The more you can align your organization against that, the better chance you have for success.

We cannot go in with our [evaluation] tool, our information, our system and say, ‘Let's work together.' That doesn't sound like an us — that sounds like a me. But if I sit down with you and I say, ‘Let's work together. Here's a tool. Here's a starting point. What do you think works; what do you think doesn't?' And then we come to an agreement about each of the areas; you've got a stake in the game.

Sometimes we would throw that out the window and we would start based on whatever's important to the organization that we're working with.

You have to agree on [the metrics]. There is really no chance for misalignment because before you can measure it, you have to develop what they are. We have to know what we're trying to achieve.

Q. How does that evaluation work?

We break the service aspect down into a number of different attributes. Those attributes are rated and then there's an opportunity for added comments. Then they're tallied, they're charted, and we sit down and we discuss it. We do the same thing going the other way.

It's one thing writing it and sending it over in an e-mail. It's a completely different thing when you have to say, ‘Can you share where we did not meet your standard based on this comment or these results?' It's as simple as, ‘Why did we get a 3 here?' ‘Well, here's why you got a 3.' Without the tool: ‘How are we doing?' ‘You're doing fine.' That's usually not a good signal.

It's not wrapped around a person — it's wrapped around that subject. You have a chance to talk about it: ‘Well, how can we improve this? How can we make this better?'

Q. How do you establish an open-evaluation environment?

The first thing you do is you lead the way, meaning [dishonesty and personal attacks] are out of bounds for you. We can't do that if we don't want you to do that.

The entire operating premise is building on a valuable long-term relationship. If the other side is not interested in that, then forget this. This won't work. So I already have a long-term mindset. If you don't, this won't work. But I can get you to think that there's value to this because people don't want to be working with a different agency every other day.

This has to be a relationship built on trust; there has to be information supplied. I have to know that sales were down last month; we are not accomplishing what we need to accomplish. I'll know that because I'll be monitoring that at the same time you are, therefore I can do something about it.

But without the clearly mutually agreed and specific objectives upfront, those things cannot happen. It's a whole lot better to sit down at the beginning of the year and lay out the specifics so they know and you know.

Brunner Digital Wins Big in 2009 International WebAwards Competition

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT

9/23/2009

Brunner Digital was honored with five awards in the Web Marketing Association’s 2009 International WebAwards Competition. The winning Web campaigns were created for Brunner clients GlaxoSmithKline’s Aquafresh brand of toothpaste, amfAR, CONSOL Energy, the Cub Cadet brand of outdoor power equipment, and Zippo lighters. The agency received three “Outstanding Website” and two “Standard of Excellence” awards.

This year’s competition marks the 12th consecutive year Brunner Digital has been honored in the 13-year-old competition. With more than 40 WebAwards to its name, Brunner Digital is one of most winning organizations in the history of the competition.

The annual WebAward Competition, produced by the Web Marketing Association, was founded in 1997 to set a high stand for Internet marketing and site development on the World Wide Web. WebAwards entries are submitted by leading interactive agencies, website owners, and in-house marketing and e-commerce departments from 40 countries. There are more than 96 industry categories, and each site goes head-to-head with other sites in its respective category.

Brunner Digital is the digital arm of Brunner, a Top 100 U.S. advertising agency with offices in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. The agency provides a broad range of services in the areas of research and planning, brand strategy, advertising, digital and one-to-one marketing, public relations, promotion, and design services to clients, such as GlaxoSmithKline, The Dow Chemical Company, GNC, Philips Healthcare, Huffy, Cub Cadet, CONSOL Energy, and Zippo. For more information, go to www.brunnerworks.com or www.brunnerdigital.com.

Brunner’s Petra Arbutina quoted in New York Times article, "BusinessWeek, on the Block and Ailing"

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT

9/14/2009

BusinessWeek, on the Block and Ailing

By Stephanie Clifford

Numbers sometimes tell a story. And the figures for BusinessWeek suggest it is having one tough time.

Bids are due Tuesday for the magazine, which McGraw-Hill has owned for 80 years. A handful of potential investors, including Bloomberg L.P., are still looking at the company. But before buyers had a chance to comb through the magazine's finances, initial interest had been much higher. BusinessWeek lost more than $43 million last year, though that included certain costs like rent and overhead, which a document sent to potential investors suggests McGraw-Hill has been charging too much for. A buyer would also have to assume much of the $31.9 million in debt.

As the thwarted sellers of The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer have discovered, this year is not a good time to sell news media outlets. Print advertising is down, and readers' attention is being diverted to the Web. Business magazines, including BusinessWeek and rivals like Forbes and Fortune, have been hit particularly hard, as automotive, financial services and technology advertisers have pulled back their marketing spending.

So far, about six investors appear interested in BusinessWeek, including OpenGate Capital, which bought TV Guide for $1 last year; Warburg Pincus; and Platinum Equity, which is also bidding for The Boston Globe.

Other candidates include Bloomberg; Joe Mansueto, the founder of the ratings firm Morningstar who bought Inc. and Fast Company in 2005; and Bruce Wasserstein, the chairman and chief executive of Lazard, who also owns New York magazine.

But Peter P. Appert, who is an analyst at Piper Jaffray, argued that BusinessWeek's future was cloudy. "I don't think the prospect of meaningful earnings recovery is particularly good," he said.

BusinessWeek executives declined to comment for this article, as did a McGraw-Hill spokesman, Steven H. Weiss. He referred a reporter to a July news release in which McGraw-Hill said it was "exploring strategic options" for the magazine.

BusinessWeek was founded in 1926 with a simple aim: to summarize the week's business news. It soon became a handbook for managers, covering strategy, marketing and the big issues affecting business, like policy, energy and debt.

Stephen J. Adler, the magazine's editor in chief, joined in 2005 from The Wall Street Journal, where he had a variety of editing assignments, including working on the paper's Web site, directing legal coverage and handling some investigative projects.

When he joined BusinessWeek, he pushed it beyond its traditional mix of corporate coverage, adding columnists like Jack Welch and Maria Bartiromo. He also created an investigative unit that has churned out award-winning articles, and was behind this week's cover article on accusations of corruption in the Glock gun empire.

But Mr. Adler arrived when the magazine was struggling with an existential question: how do you make a weekly magazine relevant in the Internet age?

As the economy weakened and advertising dropped, Mr. Adler and Keith Fox, BusinessWeek's president, decided the magazine needed to re-establish itself as an essential publication for its core audience of business executives.

In February, Mr. Adler and Mr. Fox called editorial employees into a meeting to announce a solution. The magazine would focus on what executives needed to know for their jobs, and shed its sports, lifestyle and politics articles. And writers needed to consider a businessperson's point of view, rather than a consumer's.

"Our mission is to move business forward," read the mission statement, handed out at the meeting, and to help readers "make smarter decisions in their businesses, careers and investments."

Some editorial employees liked the change. "We're trying to serve business readers at a time when business is in disarray," said one employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because employees are not authorized to speak publicly about the sale. "I think we've done remarkably well doing that."

But other employees saw a different subtext: their role now was to help business leaders make more money. Though the investigative unit has continued its work, other staff members say their harder-hitting stories have been killed, held or edited into submission.

The regular feature "How to Play It," which advises readers on profiting from articles in the issue and is often written by the reporter who wrote the article, has drawn particular ire. The Sept. 7 issue, for example, urged investing in Monsanto to benefit from population growth.

As the editorial side has tried to find its footing, the business side has been slammed by the downturn. BusinessWeek was buoyed by dot-com advertisements in the late 1990s, and had more than 5,000 ad pages in 1999. Last year, it had only about 1,900 pages. Its share of the ad pages among competitors — Fortune, Forbes, Inc. and Fast Company — has fallen in the last six years.

And ad revenue at the print magazine has plummeted to an estimated $60 million this year, from almost $110 million in 2006, according to the information memorandum for the BusinessWeek sale. In the same period, ad revenue from the Web site has increased only $897,000, to an estimated $20.5 million this year.

The memorandum hints at why. Though BusinessWeek.com attracts a lot of page views, 45 percent of those are from slide shows, which Web publishers consider a gimmicky way to increase hits. Only 16 percent of page views came from original articles for the six months ended in April. BusinessWeek.com also pulls in just $19.28 per thousand ad views, almost a quarter lower than what it was earning three years ago. And it sells only about 38 percent of the available ads, down from 79 percent in 2006, according to the document.

Some advertisers seem to be wondering whether BusinessWeek is still the best place for their money. When Intel, once a major BusinessWeek advertiser, recently hosted media partners at a mixer to talk about future projects, BusinessWeek did not merit an invitation.

"Weekly publications in general have to deal with the fact that the Internet does provide current news, and that's what the purpose of a weekly magazine started out to be," said Petra Arbutina, executive vice president and director for contact strategy for the marketing firm Brunner.

According to the information memorandum, BusinessWeek lost $17 million last year. But that does not include more than $26 million in charges like overhead and rent from McGraw-Hill. BusinessWeek argues that those charges were too high, and a new owner could set lower rent rates and reduce other charges included in that $26 million. Still, they are counted as expenses.

Including such charges, BusinessWeek lost $43 million in 2008, and projects losing $41 million this year, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

McGraw-Hill reduced the magazine's physical size, and in January, it announced its fourth round of layoffs in two years. This time, a quarter of the editorial staff will be cut, along with workers in other departments, for a total of 85 of BusinessWeek's 421 jobs.

Hoping to find new revenue, BusinessWeek started a social-networking site, Business Exchange, and sank $16 million into it in 2007 and 2008. Almost two years after its introduction, the site drew just 1.5 million page views in the United States in July, according to the measurement firm comScore. That is about the same as Wikinvest.com, a start-up offering investment tips.

Last year, Business Exchange had expenses of $7.6 million, and brought in only about $600,000 in revenue. The company expects that gap to narrow significantly. Still, the project is expected to cost $4.7 million this year, excluding interest and taxes.

With bids about to land, investors and employees are debating the future of BusinessWeek. There are levers to move, like decreasing circulation or raising the magazine's price. But it is still a weekly in a nanosecond world.

"They have to be unique, must-read," said Stephen B. Shepard, the editor of BusinessWeek for 20 years and now dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. "That's the only hope for almost all these publications."

How to Grow Your Business When Everything Else Is Shrinking

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT

7/15/2009

Let the '4% Factor' Help You Tap Into the Right Data to Create New Opportunities

By Scott Morgan

Budgets continue to be slashed. Brands are disappearing. Media is getting more fragmented. The only thing getting bigger is our federal deficit. So as a marketer, how do you capitalize on a world that is getting smaller in so many respects? You could ignore it and keep doing things the same way -- reaching wide and hoping for the best. Or you can face the fact that the world is changing and figure out how to benefit from it.

There are growth opportunities out there for those brave enough and diligent enough to dive into the data right in front of them: customer databases, profiling and enhancement data, real-time research, predictive modeling. You name it, readily available sources of information about your customers and prospective customers are voluminous. To date, brands from Yahoo to Coca-Cola have used transaction and behavior data to sort out their best consumers, targeting specific types of messages via specific channels of communication.

What marketers are starting to discover is that the target universe is smaller than originally thought. So small, in fact, that 4% of a brand's consumer base is driving most of the business. This deeper dive into audience targeting is what I call the 4% Factor. Simply stated, it is another level down from the typical 80/20 rule of prioritizing (20% drive, 80% of the business) because, well, everything is getting smaller.

Four is the significant digit because it is this relative number that seems to rise to the surface every time a study is conducted or a program is measured, proving that those impacting your brand (typically characterized as volume, margin or advocacy) tend to be a relatively small number of the whole customer universe.

Examples as to the success of using this strategy are becoming more prevalent. For instance, Catalina Marketing, with its Checkout Coupon system, recently identified that 1% of Iams' pet-food buyers accounted for 80% of the annual volume of the brand's sales via the supermarket channel. And other marketers have experienced similar results, such as LaRosa's Pizzeria chain, in which a small percentage of pizza consumers account for significant portions of various menu items (for example, 4% purchase 65% of calzones).

So what do you do about it? Embrace it. Start thinking about ways to employ addressable media, digital media, one-to-one marketing and, of course, social media to reach that core 4% of consumers who have the greatest propensity to identify and recruit others to your brand franchise.

The 4% Factor goes well beyond a loyalty strategy -- it is a penetration strategy -- designed as a competitive approach to protecting and growing your business. Simply put, start smaller to get bigger faster. It also tends to be a much more sustainable approach than traditional strategies of casting a really wide net, going through trial and then hoping to retain a percentage of new customers.

If you want to grow a business or product line that can react and adapt more quickly to future opportunities, consider these specific steps:

Find: Discover and define your main source of volume, margin or advocacy by tapping into existing customer data. Combine that with outside resources such as enhancement data (information that can be appended to consumer profiles to shed additional insight about their demographics, psychographics and potential purchase behaviors) and details gathered via social media and other research tools.

Filter: Sift through the data and intelligence by segmenting, profiling and using predictive modeling to develop a pool of target segments and markets.

Magnify: Examine, select and prioritize the top three to five target groups. Test and refine through methods, such as those found at iModerate, a company with research technologies that allow moderators of online conversations to dig deeper and go beyond the standard questions to gather detailed insights, as well as other primary interactions.

Expand: Build out the selected communities via holistic communications strategies ranging from broadcast to social media in order to establish dialogue and grow the universe of new entrants and new advocates.

Today, brands are built by communities of like-minded individuals who share their brand experiences with others and those with whom they have some connection. Pinpoint those communities -- or markets of business opportunity -- and find creative ways to get them to help recruit your next customers.

This concept might not sound new, but this way of thinking used to be categorized with "below the line" strategies. It needs to become "above the line" to enable social media, mobile marketing, proximity marketing and other one-to-one approaches to be viewed as critical to brand and business building, as broadcast and print used to be. Call it a reordering and rethinking of the marketing-tool hierarchy. That is what I would call a smarter and faster way to grow, particularly in these economic times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Morgan is president and partner at independent, full-service agency Brunner, whose clients include GSK consumer brands, Cub Cadet outdoor power equipment, Golf Pride club grips and Zippo lighters.

Brunner President Scott Morgan Quoted in USA Today

Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

5/18/2009

Click here to view this article in USA Today.

Pfizer (PFE) has issued an Rx to temporarily ease the financial pain of some of its unemployed customers.

The pharmaceutical giant said Thursday that it will distribute — for free — more than 70 of its medications to folks who meet certain criteria, including a job loss since Jan. 1 and the absence of prescription drug insurance.

Those who qualify will receive their Pfizer medicines free for up to a year, or until they get coverage again.

The program officially begins July 1 and will run through Dec. 31. Those who want to see if they qualify can call 866-706-2400. The application is on Pfizerhelpfulanswers.com.

Applicants must attest to financial hardship that hinders their ability to pay for medications. In addition, they must have taken one of the designated drugs for at least three months before becoming unemployed.

The drug list includes cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor, antidepressant Zoloft and impotency treatment Viagra. Pfizer deems the free drugs — even the little blue pill — to be "primary care medicines."

Those meds are often prescribed for chronic conditions, says Jorge Puente, Pfizer's regional president of worldwide pharmaceuticals. They treat more common ailments that affect "a large segment of the population," he says.

Pfizer employees can voluntarily contribute money to the program, deemed "Maintain" for "Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need." The Pfizer Foundation will match their donations.

This endeavor could give the drug behemoth a bit of a brand boost, say marketing experts.

It'll add "a positive halo" to Pfizer's reputation, says Allen Adamson, a managing director at branding agency Landor Associates. "It's a tangible program that will help Americans."

It's also a way to sustain the satisfaction level of financially strapped customers, says Scott Morgan, president of ad agency Brunner, which has helped market pharmaceutical and over-the-counter medication.

"I look at this as a relationship marketing strategy," he says.

Customers who get the free meds have already been on them for at least three months, so they're likely already happy with the brand, he says. Keeping up the medication supply for those consumers will "create deeper loyalty."

"It goes beyond goodwill," Morgan says. "There's definitely a marketing strategy behind this about defending against generics and maintaining your consumer base. … It's a pretty savvy move."

New Zippo Campaign Featured in DMNews

Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

5/14/2009

Click here to view this article in DMNews.

Using marketing campaigns with a music tie-in that include free, downloadable music track offers to target a younger demographic are gaining popularity for brands as diverse as Zippo lighters and Vitaminwater.

"Zippo has a deep heritage with music" due to the lofting of the lighters by fans at concerts, said Rick Gardinier, chief digital officer at agency Brunner, which recently launched a Zippo campaign that partners with Rolling Stone magazine and RealNetworks for a microsite in support of indie rock music. Because of this heritage, it made sense to build a campaign around contemporary music in an effort to help the Zippo brand maintain relevance with its target audience of young men age 18 to 34, Gardinier explained.

The "hub" of the campaign is a recently launched microsite at ZippoEncore.com, which features exclusive content and lives within the Rolling Stone Web site. The campaign also will be supported with social media and print ads in Rolling Stone. Banner ads on RollingStone.com and Pandora.com will run through the fall.

"Zippo has advertised with Rolling Stone for years, but to really go this deep on an online partnership together is a first," said Gardinier.

Music also plays a key role in a new promotion from Glaceau's Vitaminwater, which has partnered with MySpace Music to launch a new flavor, Sync. For the promotion, 24 million bottles of Sync will feature a MySpace Music logo, and promotional codes printed under each cap will allow purchasers to download a free MP3 music track.

On the Zippo/Rolling Stone site, visitors can find two exclusive videos by the band Shinedown and a free, downloadable track, as well as additional content such as exclusive interviews, a message board and a catalog of rock-themed Zippo lighters.

There's also a CRM component. Microsite visitors are required to opt in to view much of the content. Those who sign up will receive a series of e-mails, including messages with a thank you theme, for their birthday, special offers and around live events sponsored by Zippo.

Zippo also recently launched Facebook and MySpace pages that reference the company's rock music ties and ZippoEncore.com.

Brunner CEO Michael Brunner Honored with Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Achievement Award

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

4/15/2009

Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania honored Brunner CEO Michael Brunner with the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award for his outstanding business accomplishments and untiring efforts to serve the community. Mr. Brunner was presented with the award during the Junior Achievement Annual Spirit of Enterprise Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh. Founded nationally in 1919, Junior Achievement strives to teach students the important concepts of entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, and financial literacy. Mr. Brunner has long been an advocate of community service, especially when it comes to creating opportunities for young people entering the marketing and advertising business.

Launched in 1989, Brunner grew from a small Pittsburgh ad agency to a nationally recognized full-service marketing firm with 200 employees and annual capitalized billings $200 million. Under Mr. Brunner’s direction, the agency extended its presence geographically, adding offices in Atlanta and Washington D.C., won national accounts, such as Cub Cadet, GlaxoSmithKline, GNC, and Musselman’s Apple Sauce, and earned spots on both Adweek’s and Advertising Age’s Top 100 U.S. ad agencies lists. Today, Mr. Brunner, with partners Scott Morgan, Mary Kay Modaffari, and Petra Arbutina, continues to lead the agency on a path of focused growth.

”Michael takes great interest and pride in shaping the minds of young people,” said Brunner President Scott Morgan. “I can point to many of our staff members today who started with the agency at very young ages and have since become key contributors to our growth due in large part to Michael’s mentoring. It is wonderful for us to see him honored with the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award.”

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Michael has had a lifelong passion for the advertising business. He earned his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and then further built his knowledge of the advertising industry by studying at the Ivy School of Professional Art/Advertising in Pittsburgh.

Michael’s accomplishments go well beyond the confines of the agency. He served on the national board of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and is an active member of the American Marketing Association and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Entrepreneurship. Beyond advertising, he’s well known in Pittsburgh as a strong advocate for community service. He presently serves on several boards, including those of CLO (Civic Light Opera), Point Park University, and the Rivers Club. Mr. Brunner resides in Peters Township, PA, with his wife, Marita.

Other Spirit of Enterprise awardees honored during the event were Stephen R. Tritch of Westinghouse Electric Company with the Business Hall of Fame Laureate, the late Gwendolyn J. Elliott with the Fred Rodgers Good Neighbor Award, and Brunner client CONSOL Energy as the Impact Company of the Year.

Junior Achievement (JA) is the world's largest and fastest-growing non-profit organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics, and free enterprise. JA reaches more than 82,000 students in western PA through some 3,000 local volunteers. For more information, visit www.jawesternpa.org.

Brunner Formalizes Social Media Practice

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

3/17/2009

As Adweek projects social media to continue to grow at a rate of 20 percent annually through 2012, Brunner, an advertising agency with a long-standing heritage of leadership in the digital space, has formalized its social media practice. Aimed at helping clients effectively integrate social media into their marketing strategies, the practice brings together all of the critical elements of any social media effort—research and strategy, digital, public relations, creative, media, and technology.

According to Brunner President Scott Morgan, "There are a lot of interactive agencies and public relations firms listing social media as a capability. As a full-service ad agency, Brunner's expertise goes well beyond anything a specialty agency can offer. Not only can we create engaging content, but we also can deliver a holistic approach to strategy and planning, as well as flawless execution. Instead of a stand-alone social media campaign, we give our clients a social media program that's well integrated into their broader marketing efforts."

Brunner's social media capabilities encompass everything from research and strategy to content development to seeding strategies to analytics, and more. Brunner starts with monitoring what consumers are saying about a client's brand online, turns that learning into insight, and then applies the insight to effectively engage those consumers in conversation within the appropriate social media platforms. "To be clear, we've had a leading digital marketing practice for more than a decade and have been delivering social media solutions to our clients for some time now," said Morgan. "It's not a new area of expertise for us. We've merely formalized the practice."

Rick Gardinier, Brunner chief digital officer, adds, "There is a lot of debate in the marketplace right now about what type of agency is best equipped to ‘own' the social media space. With strong digital and public relations expertise and a nimble, integrated culture, we are better equipped than most agencies to deliver highly effective programs." As a forum to share social media through the eyes of the agency's creative team, Brunner launched a new blog at www.smarterfaster.com.

Adweek Peer Review by Frank Compton

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

3/16/2009

Click here to view this article in AdWeek.

Differentiation is the task of every brand, but it's a major challenge in the world of casual dining, where overhead is enormous, margins razor-thin and competition ubiquitous. With all the mid-priced dinnerhouse chains out on the interstate, it gets pretty hard to tell one brand's garlic mashed potatoes from another's Mexican potato skins. Now, in theory, a TV commercial should help to solve that problem. But in the case of the latest series of ads from Carrabba's Italian Grill, our guest reviewer was left scratching his head. Frank Compton, creative chief at Pittsburgh agency Brunner, points out that if every casual-dining chain in America is filling expensive airtime with mouthwatering food shots, why would a chain with money to spend (Carrabba's is owned by Outback Steakhouse) pay for still more mouthwatering food shots? His review follows.

Before I say anything else, Mr. Food Stylist, your work is beautiful. In fact, when it comes to the new series of ads from MMB for casual-dining chain Carrabba’s Italian Grill, everything is beautiful.

And when you’re talking about 15-second spots where there’s only room for a clever pitch line and a close-up of a lobster ravioli swimming in cream sauce, that might be all that needs saying. Still, five new spots from Carrabba’s warrant a closer look, in part because they’re sort of like that game they used to play on Sesame Street—remember the one about “one of these things is not like the other”? While all of these commercials are nicely produced and nicely directed, four of them give us microscope-quality zoom-ins of sinful new entrées like Chicken Sorrentino and Sicilian Braised Pork, while the fifth takes a completely different approach. This last spot is the only one that actually has an idea.

It opens with a scene in which a happy couple, menus in hand, is greeted tableside by an outgoing guy dressed in a white shirt, tie and black pants. The man proceeds to ramble, exuberantly, through descriptions of the house’s best dishes. We, like the couple seated at the table, presume that he’s the server who’ll soon take their order. At least, we do until the real server (wearing an apron) shows up, which causes the poseur pitchman to slink back to his nearby booth (where, by the way, he raises a glass in toast to the couple about to enjoy their first ever taste of that beautifully styled Carrabba’s food.) It’s fun stuff. Plus, it allows a quick cameo of one of the four aforementioned entrées to pop up, just for good measure.

Pity there’s only one of these episodes. Of course, it’s anyone’s guess why the company made four quarter-minute spots solely to make your mouth water, then directed a 30-second mistaken-identity drama to round it all off. But the food spots are, as I said above, beautiful. Sure, there are some clever lines in here: “Makes great leftovers—if there ever was any leftover.” And: “It may forever end that quaint custom known as sharing.” But food is the star. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ll have to defer to custom, here. Luscious, steaming, succulent food shots obviously sell, or else everyone else in the category wouldn’t be doing it.

Then again, maybe that’s the problem, too. Here’s a little something for the Carrabba’s folks to think about. With so many casual-dining chains opting to make commercials starring mouthwatering food shots close enough to steam up the camera lens, where’s the differentiation? And, if you’re all going to essentially make the same commercial, why don’t all the brands simply swap campaigns with one another every other year or so? You take mine; I’ll take yours. We’ll just change the logos and tag lines. No portly people out there in the world of casual dining will ever notice the difference!

Just think of the upside of sharing like this. No know-it-all agency people trying to get you to do something different. You can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in production costs. And you keep the managers, servers and customers happy with beautiful food styling which, by the way, you also won’t have to pay for every year as well.

Anyway, it’s just an idea. A new campaign to roll out every year at the annual meeting without the costs. (By the way, the consultants who are paid a helluva lot more than we agencies would describe this as a “robust win/win proposition executed in a dynamic way that breaks all paradigms.”)

Anyway, I really am serious when I say that the food’s just beautiful. Looks tasty, too. I mean, it’s so good that customers even leave their tables to sell it to other customers. But before we part company, could someone just remind me one more time: Which restaurant chain is this campaign for, again?

Brunner Names Chief Client Officer

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:00:00 GMT

1/20/2009

Advertising and marketing agency Brunner has promoted Jeff Maggs, 46, to the newly created position of chief client officer, overseeing all accounts, across all agency offices. Previously, Maggs was SVP, director of account management, responsible for Pittsburgh accounts only.

Brunner president Scott Morgan notes, “Jeff could write the book on contemporary account leadership. No client ever doubts that he is firmly on their side. And within our agency, both by example and by outstanding leadership, he has cultivated the exceptional account management team that every one of our clients deserves: a team that is committed to cross-disciplinary problem-solving, and that combines business sense, strategic skill, and an unfailing big picture focus.”

Maggs joined Brunner in 2006, as SVP of account management. Before that, he was chief operating officer of Marc USA, Pittsburgh.

Brunner's President Inducted into Pittsburgh Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:00:00 GMT

12/4/2008

Pittsburgh Advertising Federation inducted Scott Morgan, Brunner partner and president, into the Hall of Achievement at the 2008 Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on Dec. 3 at the Omni William Penn Hotel. The Hall of Achievement recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on the advertising community. The nominees are evaluated on achievements in publishing, marketing, sales or media, and are selected based on the demonstration of ability to motivate others through mentoring, inspiring, training or volunteering. The Pittsburgh Advertising Federation is a member of the American Advertising Federation.

Morgan joined the Brunner team in the late 1980s as an account executive and subsequently served in numerous positions before being named president in 2005 and then partner in 2008. His contributions have helped grow the agency from $11 million in annual billing to its current $200 million; one office in Pittsburgh to three offices in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.; and 26 employees to nearly 200.

“I knew the moment I met Scott that he would have a tremendous impact on our organization,” said Brunner CEO Michael Brunner. “He showed leadership potential from the beginning. He’s played a big role in helping us build a world class agency. No matter how far he advances in his career, he continues to push himself to learn new skills and find new and better ways to do things as our industry continues to evolve and change. He’s an incredible talent and an all-around great guy.”

Morgan is an alumnus of Leadership Pittsburgh XVI, and a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Marketing Association. He not only plays a significant role in the industry, but also in the community, having served as a board member for the American Red Cross and chairman of the board of the Council for International Visitors.

With an MBA from Katz Graduate School of Business – University of Pittsburgh, and as a Drucker Institute strategic planner, Morgan has been a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon and other universities. He received his undergraduate degree in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He resides in Peters Township with his wife, Lauren and his daughter, Cameron.

The other inductees to the Hall of Achievement were Brian Bronaugh, president and executive creative director of Mullen/Pittsburgh and Jeff Hennion, executive EVP and CMO of Dick’s Sporting Goods. Hall of Fame Inductees were George Hill, former president of The George Hill Company, Bob Lando, the founder and former president of Lando Inc., and founders and former partners of GBL, Ron Baumgarten, Mark Gray, and Ron Layport.

Brunner Digital New Name in Washington, D.C.

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:00:00 GMT

11/11/2008

Advertising agency Brunner, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, is converting the name, the management and the focus of its Washington, D.C. office to reflect the District's increasingly digital-oriented marketing communications needs.

The office, formerly Blattner Brunner, recently posted its new signage as Brunner Digital at its 1250 Eye Street, N.W. address. Other changes include the naming of Tim Weinheimer as Acting Managing Director, bringing digital experience and account management expertise to a position that had been largely a more traditional advertising management position. Weinheimer has led Brunner's digital marketing efforts for the past two years for amFAR, the American Federation for Aids Research as well as the American Bankers Association. Previously, he worked at Marc USA, Pittsburgh, and The Richards Group, Dallas, where he managed AT&T and other telecom accounts.

Brunner Digital's Creative Director of Emerging Media, Ernie Mosteller, has expanded his role in the Washington office with a focus on social media and other new forms of digital communications in addition to creative duties. He recently was a featured panelist at Interact '08 where he discussed the rising need for digital talent in the Washington market.

Additionally, Brunner Digital has hired Shaun Quigley in the newly created role of Interactive Practice Director, responsible for the 360° integration of client's marketing strategies, with digital as a key part of the solution. He previously managed the National Wildlife Federation account at Greenfield/Belser, Ltd., Rockville, Md., where he was responsible for account management and digital design and development.

"Our focus on digital is a natural extension of more than a decade's worth of experience in the digital space, which started with our Pittsburgh office and now includes the special opportunity that the D.C. market provides," states Rick Gardinier, Brunner Chief Digital Officer. "If you consider that nearly 90% of our new business growth in D.C. since the beginning of 2008 has been digital, our new direction here is an absolute reflection of that. The point of difference for us is that we combine digital areas that are typically distinct from one another. One is the backend technology and programming which a lot of firms in the D.C. metro area tend to focus on. The other is our reputation for the creative firepower that we add. We create a bridge between those two aspects of digital marketing which makes us very different from other firms in the market."

The Brunner Digital office in D.C. benefits from the wider organization's digital heritage that goes back to 1997. "We may look like the new kids on the block in Washington," states Scott Morgan, Brunner president, "but the reality is we've got a core marketing competency in the digital space that traces back to some of the first web sites ever created for Fortune 500 companies. Our clients in D.C. like to know we have that level of credibility as well as being one of the few marketing firms in the United States awarded Microsoft Gold certification."

Congratulations to BRUNNER client Susan Edwards of GlaxoSmithKline for being named as one of Ad Age's 2008 Power Players.

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

10/27/2008

Click here to download the article [PDF].

Beazer Homes Names Brunner Agency-of-Record

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

8/22/2008

Atlanta-based Beazer Homes USA has named Brunner as its new advertising agency of record. Beazer's estimated annual marketing budget is in excess of $30 million. Brunner will provide services including strategy and planning, creative, media planning and buying, digital, direct, and promotion, and will work closely with Beazer's in-house team. Brunner began working with Beazer on a project basis earlier this year. The business was awarded without a formal review.

"I've had the chance to work with Brunner in the past," said Beazer chief marketing officer, Kathi James. "They are a good fit for our culture, and they have the strong strategic and creative capabilities we need right now to build our brand and drive traffic to the communities where we're building our homes. Most important, they have a track record for producing results for their clients, which was a key factor in our decision to award the business to them." Brunner began work immediately for Beazer's next campaign, which is scheduled to break in October 2008. Planning for 2009 is also underway.

"This is an exciting win for us," said Brunner CEO Michael Brunner. "It's a category and an audience we know well. More importantly, it's a category that both Beazer, and we, view as filled right now with opportunity. We look forward to helping Beazer continue to build its brand and grow its business."

With headquarters in Atlanta, Beazer Homes USA combines the capabilities of a national home builder with the knowledge and insight of the best local professionals. Beazer currently builds in more than 30 markets in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, West, and Central United States. For more information, visit www.beazer.com.

Brunner is Cannes Finalist

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

6/30/2008

Advertising agency Brunner was named a finalist for an Outdoor Lion at the June 2008 Cannes Advertising Festival. An illustrated poster created by Brunner for client W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co., Bradford, Pa., received a certificate as a short list finalist in the point-of-purchase (P-O-P) category.

In allegorical form, the poster suggests the decades that have passed since sweethearts first began using Case knives to carve their lovers' initials into a tree. The campaign's sole tag is, "since 1889," referring to the year the company was founded.

The Cannes Festival is considered by many to be the world's most prestigious creative award show. Over 26,000 entries, from 85 countries, were submitted.

Blattner Brunner trims name; expands ownership.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

6/9/2008

As of June 16, advertising agency Blattner Brunner will be renamed Brunner, and its digital marketing group, formerly bbdigital, will be renamed Brunner Digital. The change both acknowledges chairman and ceo Michael Brunner's sole ownership for the past 51/2 years, and also allows for new, broadened ownership going forward.

Simultaneously, Scott Morgan, Mary Kay Modaffari, and Petra Arbutina will make partner, becoming the agency's only other stakeholders besides Michael Brunner and, formerly, co-founder Joe Blattner, who sold back his shares in January, 2003. Mary Kay Modaffari, previously evp dir. of account management, is promoted to the new position of evp Pittsburgh managing director. Morgan and Arbutina retain their same titles: president and evp contact strategy, respectively.

Michael Brunner states: "Our agency is fortunate to have had the benefit of Scott's, Mary Kay's and Petra's dedication and commitment over the years, and I am proud to honor their contributions by making them, officially, my partners. I am also excited by what I believe this agency can further achieve under such a team of leaders. Although I enjoyed 'flying solo,' now is the right time to make this change. The combination of internal growth and the extraordinary fragmentation of the ad/marketing universe both say to me that future growth will depend on a broader skill-set than I alone can provide. I am thrilled to have found three dynamic partners from within our ranks."

Since 2003, under Michael Brunner's direction, agency billings have increased from $76 to $200 million, and staff from 73 to 200. The client roster now includes several national accounts with billings over $20 million each; in 2003, there were none over $5 million. The agency has opened offices in Atlanta and Washington D.C., and, since 2006, been on both Adweek's and Ad Age's Top 100 U.S. Agencies.

Local News Note:
Brunner will remain in its present location, 11 Stanwix St. The building's new owners have committed to significant upgrades to the property.