“We’re cutting back right now,” said one business owner recently, “so we don’t have the budget for PR.” Meanwhile, across town, a manufacturing executive detailed an entirely different approach: “Things are tough right now, that’s for sure. That’s why sales and marketing are all the more important to us. Now’s when we turn up the heat.”
So who’s right?
Every organization has its own unique issues. Yet the stories abound about companies facing extinction, resorting to “guerilla” sales and marketing tactics, and landing the Big One.
We counsel our clients to ask themselves five simple questions as they prepare the red pen:
Is your paid advertising simply building awareness, or is it making the phone ring?
Are there fixed, internal marketing costs that could be trimmed by outsourcing?
How frequently do you communicate with your customers and prospects?
During these tough times, what is the priority: identifying new business or preserving existing relationships?
If you had to profile the ideal customer target and could only afford to reach that target, how would you do it?
The answers to these queries tend to open a lively debate about how many dollars belong in marketing, advertising and PR. And, just for kicks, we will revisit these two business owners in a year to see how their approaches have succeeded or failed…
Decentralized Intelligence Agency Announces Four New Clients
TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. MAY 24, 2001 — The Decentralized Intelligence Agency, northern Michigan’s fastest growing public relations agency, announced it has been engaged by four new clients. The announcement was made by principals Luke Haase and Gregg Smith.
MARS Advertising, one of the nation’s leading consumer products advertising agencies, has engaged The Decentralized Intelligence Agency as public relations counsel. With more than 300 employees in ten offices nationwide, MARS has been a pioneer in account specific marketing (ASM) since its founding in 1973. MARS clients include Glaxo SmithKline, Miller Brewing, and Nestle. MARS is headquartered in Southfield, Mich. The MARS account will be supervised by Decentralized Intelligence Agency principal Luke Haase.
Skilled Manufacturing, Inc., a a leading provider of steering systems to Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive companies, has hired The Decentralized Intelligence Agency to handle its public relations needs. The Traverse City, Mich.-based manufacturer is QS-9000 and ISO-9002 certified and currently supplies components that appear in several General Motors vehicles, including the Chevrolet Corvette. The account will be handled by Account Executive Heidi Argue.
The agency was also named advertising and public relations agency of record for Northern Vision Eye Care. Supervised by Account Executive Tania Egger Harris, the account will include print advertising, special events, and traditional public relations. Northern Vision is one of northern Michigan’s largest, most advanced opthamology center. Its services include LASIK and no-stitch cataract surgeries, as well as treatments for dry eye syndrome, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. The facility is owned by Dr. Robert Butyrn, who has performed more than 1,500 LASIK surgeries. Northern Vision is located in Traverse City, Mich.
Portfolio Performance Analysis (PPA) has engaged The Decentralized Intelligence Agency for marketing and public relations services. PPA, a nationally recognized securities and portfolio consulting firm, provides testimony in U.S. federal and state courts and serves individual investors, legal counsel, and brokerage firms as a securities and portfolio consultants. The account will be supervised by Decentralized Intelligence Agency principal Gregg Smith.
Since its inception in 1999, The Decentralized Intelligence Agency has added more than forty clients ranging in industries from banking to food manufacturing and ranging in geography from Petoskey to Anchorage and Arizona. The agency’s services include public relations, corporate/crisis communications, investor relations and more. In May 2001, the agency announced it will serve as Season Underwriter for the Traverse Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary season.
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