Previous month:
November 2012
Next month:
January 2013

Happy New Year & Thank You!

We're about to put a fork in 2012.  In fact we're now just hours away. We 2013 Hands just want to say "Thanks for a great year"!  We've lost some and won some.  We've learned so much and still have that burning desire to learn more.

Clearly, when we started this agency years ago, we had no conception what success might look like.  To have been able to weather the economic downturn was a blessing and a win.  To lose a long time client was a loss but that space was quickly picked up by another.

At the end of the day...or in this case...the end of the year, we tend to reflect on what we've done and where we're headed.  While we are grateful we expect to do even better in 2013.  To open up new vistas for our existing clients and those folks who have not yet found us.  We've said many times, "Just about anybody can create but not everybody can read the consumer". How true that is and it's something we're going to double-down on in 2013. 

So...thank you and Happy New Year.  Let's rock into 2013 together!

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If you would like to comment, you can do that here or follow us on our advertising agency Twitter Stream @InsightADV or our agency Facebook Page which is right...here.  Thanks...again!


Could It Be?

We've struggled, for several weeks, with Internet Explorer and Chrome. Firefox_logo  First it was Twitter which didn't work correctly when using IE, then Chrome would simply freeze up. So...

We moved to Firefox.

Will it work?  We don't know but, already, we're seeing a major difference in speed and the ability of several applications working better. The short story is we're impressed and we'll keep you in the loop!

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Well, Now What?

For many the past month has been a blur...  If you are in business for Welcome Back yourself or  you're in some sort of management role do you tend to look at this next week with concern or are you grateful for a good year?  Here at Insight we've been blessed with new clients, new direction, new opportunity and they all point to a good 2013.

We hope you're in the same boat...  In the meantime, welcome back from the Christmas Holiday! We hope you got what you wanted/needed, spent time with the family and remembered what all the excitement has really been about over the past month.

Now, let's pour ourselves into the next week planning for a stellar year.  Good idea?

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Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications is a full service advertising agency based in Des Moines, Iowa.  To connect with us on Twitter it's @InsightADV and/or our Facebook Page is right here.  Thanks for coming by!


Lessons Learned - Politics & Business

A week ago last night my daily involvement in a political campaign with Cowboy 1 Desmund Adams concluded. After 17 months of our work dedicated to media, communications, policy, public events, video, photography, design, voter outreach, social media…we lost.  Desmund lost by over 1,400 votes to a guy who had campaigned for 34 days. Now, while that sounds like a bunch it really was not.  Our opponent had a 5,000 voter registration edge on us.

I learned some things from this adventure that may be helpful to the business world or for those of you considering a political future.  Here is a quick list:

  • Work vs. Money – While we all say we value hard work going into something underfunded is a death blow.  In 34 days our opponent outraised and outspent us by nearly 4 to 1.  Deep pockets trumps hard work it would seem;
  • Stay Simple – Our campaign worked over seven key issues we believed were critical to the future of Iowa.  Meanwhile our opponent failed to utter a single original idea and kept true to his political party’s talking points.  There is a lesson here about detail me thinks;
  • Social Media & Facebook – If you have a business and you want to connect with potential customers use social media and promote by doing advertising on Facebook…it works;
  • Mass Media – Television works.  It’s that simple.  In the final weeks of the campaign our opponent spent thousands on television advertising.  While the ad was not very creative it was the only thing running;
  • Direct Mail…Sucks – We spent several thousand dollars on specifically directed mailings to selected special interest groups.  Our return was less than 1%...way less.  This has caused some re-thinking for our agency about the use of direct mail;
  • Relevant Message/Bad Timing – No matter how “important” you  think your product/service is trying to sell ideas during the Holiday Season is tough…very.
  • Winter Elections/Promotions -  In December it’s dark by 5PM finding a polling place, especially after redistricting was tough.  That brings to mind the timing of your promotion/event.  Getting people OUT after dark during the week?  Unless it’s a very social thing…nada;
  • Wednesday & Church – Not being a Christian I had this misdirected thought that Wednesday nights were like any other night.  Wrong.  Avoid Wednesday night events...especially if you are targeting women.

However difficult it was to lose it was a wonderful adventure and we were grateful for the experience.  I know that Desmund Adams is not finished with his dream to serve the citizens of Iowa…I’ll let you know where that leads all of us.

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If you would like to leave a comment here, feel free.  Or join us on our Twitter Stream @InsightADV or our advertising agency Facebook Page is right here.  Thanks for coming by.

 


Ever Get That Feeling...

Ever get that feeling that "way too much is going on"?  We're not talking MPL Twelve Thirty about business, we treasure each and every assignment.  We're talking about the "other stuff" in our lives.  Once upon a time we would learn the news/information through the evening paper and an hour of national and local news.  Bam...that was...that.

Today we have a constant stream of information coming to us from a vast network of sources so it is critical, we think, to adjust our "input schedule".  How?  Simple, time/information management:

  • Turn it off. Rather than having Facebook/Twitter/CNN/FOX/MSNBC open all the time schedule 15 to 20 minute breaks and run a check on interest points and then get back to whatever task you have going;
  • Keep your "active list" updated. In other words constantly refer to your list of projects to make sure you're on track;
  • Avoid the argument. We see lots of time suck in online arguments using social media...avoid them like the plague.  Nothing gets accomplished here;
  • Focus on you. Your family, your job, your clients, your work, your house of worship...enjoy a little already.

And we're cutting this short so you can get back to...work.

Thanks for coming by.  If you want to leave a non-spam comment (what is with the increase in that?) go ahead or follow us on Twitter @InsightADV or our advertising agency Facebook Page is right here.

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