Keener Communications: Making the phone ring for a top notch call center.
When it comes to call centers, businesses have a lot of choices. With today’s technology, location is no longer important, making competition all the more fierce. 93 Octane developed a marketing strategy for Keener Communications that helped them stand out from the competition and attract new customers.
We took their focus, in-bound calls, and dramatized the importance of having the right strategy for communicating with customers after hours. The result was a series of humorous emails and postcards that illustrate Keener’s solution: giving an answer that is always quick, always accurate, and always friendly. The positioning was backed-up by a “Flawless Service Guarantee,” and urgency was created by offering prospects a Starbucks card for getting a free quote.
The multi-touch approach was targeted at specific business types in the mid-Atlantic and other test states, and has proven so successful that plans are underway to expand the campaign further in 2012. That phone you hear ringing? It’s music to Keener’s ears.
Maymont: Strengthening the identity a storied brand
Those who know it well, appreciate Maymont for its historic significance, its natural beauty and the magical experiences it offers to guests who pass through. But for many, Maymont was just a collection of images and experiences without a clear brand or a compelling story. Worse yet, many guests confused Maymont with a public Richmond park.
93 Octane developed a new logo that reflects the grandeur and elegance of the late 1800s, as seen through the lens of modern sensibilities. This helps reinforce the new positioning, as “An American Estate.” The logotype embellishes an old style font with a leaf flourish, reflecting both the plant life in the gardens, as well as the ornamental ironwork found throughout the estate. The swan icon was inspired by Sally Dooley’s love of swans, as reflected in the swan bed found in Maymont Mansion.
The new logo is part of an effort to refine the image of Maymont, and includes new signage, a museum wall installation and updated literature. The goal is to tell it’s story in a way that helps guests and donors to fully appreciate its majesty, its significance as a great American estate, and the extraordinary gift the Dooleys gave our community and the generosity of others that makes this treasure possible.
Massey Cancer Center:
Streamlined website accelerates action, fosters interaction.
VCU Massey Cancer Center is the premier cancer treatment center in central Virginia. But it’s content-heavy site failed to convey their cutting-edge reputation. 93 Octane was brought in to help streamline the communication, while engaging three distinct audiences: patients, medical professionals and donors. Our solution drives viewers to engage through one of three action portals: Begin, Discover, and Give. The dashboard-style home page prominently displays their National Cancer Center designation, recent advances, breaking news stories, and upcoming events, all in an easy-to-digest graphic presentation. Throughout the site, an action submenu gives visitors the ability to ask a question, make an appointment, or choose one of six other actions with a single click.
“93 Octane did an outstanding job of listening to us and then presenting us with options that fit our needs and expressed ideas for the site,” said David Raine, Massey’s Webmaster.
Call Federal: Thinking outside the big bank box
Call Federal has a reputation for being the place to go for highly competitive rates on loans and savings. The problem is many Richmonders still think they can’t join the member owned credit union. 93 Octane developed a series of TV spots designed to shatter that myth and demonstrate that anyone who works, lives or worships in the greater Richmond area can join. Removing that obstacle, the spots go on to sell the money-saving benefits of thinking outside the “big bank” box — and banking with Call Federal.
Cushman & Wakefield / Thalhimer campaign positions real estate company for leadership — in Richmond and beyond.
When local real estate company Thalhimer formed a partnership with Cushman Wakefield, they asked for an advertising blitz to spread the word, and industry leader Kelly O’Keefe turned to 93 Octane for help. We agreed that in order to have impact, we’d have to communicate more than just a name change, but an alliance that was a game-changer for the commercial real estate industry. The campaign, which was comprised of a series of online and print advertising, helped drive home the benefits to selecting them: a full range of services, and specialized knowledge in everything from retail to office, medical to investment. Their expanded partnership gave them the expertise — and the reach — to make it happen.
Response to the campaign has been strong. Marketing Director Paula English remarked, “I’ve had more compliments on this ad campaign — it’s been very well received.”
Elk Hill: Making a critical connection for troubled Youth
Elk Hill Farm was started by S Burford Scott in the 1970s as a home for troubled boys. In the 40 years that followed, they expanded to offer a range of services for boys and girls, including alternative schools, summer camps and group homes. As you would expect, as they added programs, they expanded the content on their website. But while the site had tons of information, it failed to make a connection with it’s core audiences. Add to that, it was cumbersome to navigate and impossible to update.
93 Octane developed a new website that had as much emotional impact as it did information. Core values became headlines, and real-life photographs helped drive home the impact they were having in youth’s lives. The content was dramatically reorganized and refined, and a content management system added. The results? The new site is easy-to-navigate, speaks powerfully to all audiences, and is easy for the Elk Hill staff to update. The new site is a powerful portal for youth, families, and their advocates to find and receive the help they need.
Special Olympics Virginia promotion makes a huge splash —
for very little cash.
When 93 Octane was asked to promote Special Olympics Virginia’s Polar Plunge, we knew we would be working with limited budgets. But that didn’t mean they’d get stuck with a low impact campaign. Instead, we designed a series of high-impact materials which used humor, strategy, and innovative formats to bust through the clutter.
It started with a streamlined and retooled website, which now boasts a countdown clock and event banner ads to create a sense of urgency. But the real excitement came from the humor used to arrest viewer’s attention.
The same strategy was employed by the direct mail, which included a two-part magnet. The center punched out to leave an outer frame — a perfect way to encourage people to picture themselves at this year’s event and a great way to give the promotion more shelf life.
A cost-effective HTML email campaign allowed sponsor companies to drum up support among their employees for mere pennies, and donated mobile advertising space gave Special Olympics Virginia a blast of awareness without the accompanying bills.
Update: Special Olympics Virginia raised $1 million dollars for the first time in the event’s 19 year history. It’s president, Rick Jeffery, proclaimed: “Your support is the inspiration that drives our positive momentum and keeps us going strong despite current economic challenges.” Aw shucks, we’re blushing.
2010 ends with a bang
Last night the water tank on my furnace at home exploded. The whole floor shook. Water rained from the floor joists in the basement. I panicked, turning off every valve in sight until realized the source of the problem. I drained the tank, shut off the heat and left a message for my plumber. As I lay awake in bed as waiting for the adrenalin to drain from my system, I thought how quickly I passed from a moment of utter panic to a place of relative calm.
It reminded me of the year we had here at 93 Octane. In addition to a shaky economy and a slow marketing environment, we were confronted with the loss of our friend and colleague Raymond Straus in March. Then, a longstanding client pulled their business in spite of a long history of extraordinary results. We weren’t sure how to respond.
It’s moments like these when you ask yourself why you do the things you do. There might be easier ways to make a living, but the truth is that we really love what we do, and without exception, we love the clients we do it for. And so, after prayerful consideration, we pushed forward.
What happened next was extraordinary. Family and friends began praying for the business. Friends in the community sent us business and clients. A friend in the media gave us free advertising. A family member even paid to produce promotional t-shirts.
By September, we had so much new business, we were scrambling to keep up. In all, we picked up nearly a dozen new clients in the second half of 2010, each with challenging and unique marketing needs. And many of our existing clients launched new projects and lines of business, and turned to 93 Octane for help. The end result was a full and happy plate, a broad mix of clients and industries, new areas of media, advertising and design, and most importantly, great new relationships.
To all of our of our fans, family and clients old and new, thank you for sticking with us through the minor explosions of this past year, and for believing in us. We are honored to count you among our friends.
Best wishes,
John Lindner
Note: 93 Octane will be closed from Dec 27-31 to celebrate the holidays with our families.
Holiday House Tour positioned for a storybook ending
Like many non-profits, Richmond’s Fan District Association was hit hard by the economic downturn, with attendance — and profits — down sharply last year at their biggest fundraiser, their Holiday House Tour. Looking for marketing muscle to help turn things around, they contacted 93 Octane, who developed a multi-channel campaign to increase awareness and create excitement for this year’s event. Print and radio advertising, combined with PR and community outreach were designed for maximum impact with a minimum budget.
Promotional materials were created using a storybook theme, and featured an original oil painting by Fan artist Joan Holland. The theme was carried through to the tickets, which take the form of mini-storybooks, and feature dramatic photographs of the homes provided by photographers Tony Giammarino and Mona Dworkin. The design also appears as an electronic storybook on www.fantourrichmond.com .
But perhaps most importantly, 93 Octane helped the association reinvigorate the event for 2010, which will feature antique cars and live entertainment. Paired with an aggressive pricing and promotional strategy, the event is designed to generate excitement and appeal to both old and new audiences, including the budget-conscience.
“There are many non-profits who would simply cut back in hard times,” says 93 Octane’s John Lindner. “But the Fan District Association saw this as an opportunity to take it to the next level.”
And with a smart program designed to deliver a strong ROI, they’re positioned to do just that (Editor’s Note: In spite of freezing rain, the tour raised over $24,000 for the Fan District Association).
Listen to the Holiday House Tour radio spot.
AdvantaStaff: championing the roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic.
AdvantaStaff isn’t your typical staffing agency. Instead of filling positions in cubicles, they specialize in servicing hard-to-fill positions in places like warehouses, production floors, or machine operations — positions that require a strong back and an even stronger work ethic.
93 Octane developed a series of materials designed to emphasize their unique nitch and reinforce the company’s work-hard philosophy. An oversized brochure brings to life the real world differences an AdvantaStaff worker brings to their position, and details the processes they follow to ensure that clients get the maximum bang for the buck.
AdvantaStaff was so thrilled with the work, they ordered branded hats and shirts to match. Now we’re in the process of bringing the same message to their website.
