Sells Agency Movers and Shakers

They grow up so fast, don’t they? Like a proud parent, we have watched as talented and ambitious college grads begin their advertising careers with us and evolve into independent, multi-faceted and service-oriented employees. Lately, several of our junior level associates have surpassed our great expectations and therefore deserve some recognition – and new titles. That’s why we’re proud to announce the promotion of three junior associates, Jason Rogers, Lauren Carrigan and Allison Drennon, plus the addition of one new associate, Casey Wormington.

Jason works in Little Rock in the creative department and was promoted from associate art director to art director. Frankly, he’s so talented we forgot he wasn’t a full-fledged art director. He has been with the agency full-time for one year and worked part-time for two years while attending UALR. He has primary art direction and design responsibilities on multiple accounts, including Carlton-Bates, Rx Solutions and the Jacksonville Advertising and Promotion Commission. His exceptional work for the agency has won several industry awards.

Lauren joined the agency’s Little Rock office in late 2008 as junior copywriter and quickly rose to the position of copywriter. She has created concepts for nearly every client within the agency, including Fayetteville’s current marketing, Rx Solutions’ materials and the new QualChoice campaign that will debut in April. She is the agency’s resident grammar enforcer and handles our summer internship program as the Career Clarity Coordinator. Had she written this blog entry, it would be much more clever – our apologies.

As a member of the account services team, Allison’s experience in both public relations and account service has enabled her to move from account coordinator to associate account executive in the 18 months she’s worked for the agency. She’s also a newlywed and has recently moved from our Northwest Arkansas office to Little Rock. All that change doesn’t faze the multi-talented professional who has always worked closely with clients in both central and Northwest Arkansas.

And because we scoop up talent whenever we find it, we knew we had to hire Casey, who has filled the account coordinator position within the Northwest Arkansas office. She has experience as a print advertising coordinator for a nation-wide auto parts business and has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Drury University. We’re looking forward to watching her excel as well.

Internship Program Taking Off

This May, the Sells Agency will welcome its inaugural class of interns as part of the Career Clarity program. We’re seeking three students interested in account services/public relations, copywriting and graphic design. They’ll spend the summer helping us with our favorite clients, as well as working on a project of their own. Know any college students who might be interested? More information and application instructions are available on our website.

Always a bridesmaid...

The Sells Agency was a finalist for Arkansas Business' Business of the Year award last night. While we didn't bring home the trophy, we still feel like winners. Though it may sound cliché, it really is an honor just to be nominated. Being one of five finalists is something to be proud of, plus we had a good time at the banquet. It was a great reason to break out the suits. Congratulations to the Category One winner, Custom XM printing, and to all of the winners.

Sells Agency a winner in two Addy competitions

Saturday night was Addy night in Little Rock and NWA. We attended both and came home with multiple trophies for several clients including Arvest, Rx Solutions, Mercy Health, TAC Air and even our own agency brochure.

The final results between the two competitions are:
One Gold Addy
Two Silver Addys
Five Bronze Addys
and the People's Choice Award

Congratulations to the creative department, the agency overall and to our clients. Without them, none of these awards would have been possible.

Products of our Hard Work

We love being part of new projects. Whether it’s creating a new look for a client we’ve known a long time, or starting from scratch with one we’ve just met, it’s gratifying to see our ideas grow the legs they need to be successful. We’ve been working closely with one of our newest clients, US CosmeCeuticals, to give their brand new skin care line, Rx Solutions, its own unique personality and introduce it to a test market.

When Conway-based US CosmeCeuticals contacted us last spring about marketing their skin care line, we were excited about the opportunity as well as the challenges that come with branding a completely new product. Already part of a reputable compounding pharmacy within the community, they were armed with an innovative, high-quality product and an always-motivated, “whatever it takes” attitude. What they needed from us was direction, and we were happy to provide the clarity they’d yet been unable to find.

Following some preliminary planning and research, we began developing the brand and messaging. Our first challenge was determining the best way to present consumers the benefits of such a scientific product in an easily digestible manner, like that of most beauty products. For this we created a labeling system which made the products associated with each skin type immediately identifiable. Surrounding this new system, collateral materials were developed, which included original photography and detailed product information. From comprehensive product brochures and new labels to a complete website and seven-foot in-store displays, every component of the campaign was ready for rollout in December.

Now in 2010, we anxiously await the results as Rx Solutions is introduced during a three-month test market. Following this, it is scheduled to be released statewide and later, nationwide. The client’s non-stop excitement has motivated us at every step, and now we’re ready to help Rx Solutions make a big entrance. If you’d like to take a look at this impressive line of products, visit www.rxskintherapy.com.

Shocking News: We Win Electronic Distributors Awards

Carlton-Bates was recognized at this year’s Channel Marketing Awards. The annual event is sponsored by the National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) and CBC took home two awards.

In the Web Promotion category, www.carltonbates.com received a Gold. This new site is intended to serve as a “bridge” site until a complete e-commerce site launches next year.

For the Integrated Marketing category, the Platinum winner was CBC’s Energy Industry Campaign. It was an internal campaign sent to employees to excite them about the company’s potential with customers in the energy industry. Included was an eight-page brochure, microsite, a CD of high-energy music and energy bars and drinks.

Congratulations, Carlton-Bates, and thanks for letting us create award-winning work for you. We really get a charge out of it.

Almost Human

In the fast-paced, quickly outdated world of smart phones and other cellular gadgetry, one thing has remained the same over the past two years – Apple’s iPhone is all anyone seems to talk about.

And we’ve noticed there’s a reason for that. An outstanding product on its own, iPhone’s consumer-targeted marketing efforts have created a substantial amount of hype and garnered the phone immense popularity. Upon its release, its slick touch interface and clean overall design dominated others in its category. But looking past these dominant features, Apple may have done the smartest thing of all for its phone by only making one – one device, one name, one operating system and one place to buy it. To this end, Apple never had to be branded as another cell phone company; it merely projected its already stellar image on to a phone.

This new, singular offering, brought something entirely new to the table, where other cell phone companies tender devices of every size, shape and color imaginable. Further contributing to this marketing madness, many providers offer the same phones, but under different names. With this sort of confusion all around, thoughts of the iPhone dominate consumers’ minds, though it has only a 2% share in actual cell phone sales.

One company hopes they’ve found a way to fight back. Hot on the heels of “There’s a map for that” ads bashing AT&T’s seemingly inferior coverage, Verizon introduced a series of eyebrow-raising, “iDon’t” ads, criticizing the iPhone for its shortcomings and touting two phones running a whole new operating system from Google called Android. The Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris are two Android-based smart phones made by two completely different manufacturers. By running the same operating system on these phones and others, Verizon has the ability to brand multiple phones under one recognizable name. Google Android is free to any cell phone maker who wants it, so it will turn up with more providers eventually, but Verizon is the first company to take these steps toward a more unified offering.

Every phone manufacturer and service provider has been looking for the elusive “iPhone-killer,” but have fallen short without the ability to brand one device. However, AT&T and Apple might finally have some competition if this line of Droid-driven phones proves half as good as its branding effort.

The lesson we learn from this and hope to apply with our clients is the need for brand simplicity and consistency. Consumers are being bombarded with too many competing messages to give them any reason not to remember your brand. And the fewer brands you have, the fewer brands you have to support. Not to mention, the more likely you will be to create brand awareness, understanding and, hopefully, preference.