Investment versus expenditure

As technology continues to revolutionize marketing communications, content and intent are emerging as critical factors separating one-off marketing expenses from long-term business investments that have the capacity to develop brand equity and support company goals. To successfully compete for mindshare today, marketing communications must be highly focused (with succinct outward facing messaging) and reflective of clear intent (linked to internal business goals). Although creating tactics is still important, it no longer works at the outset. People are bombarded with information from an unprecedented number of avenues. Reactively joining the cacophony has become an expensive and outdated model.

In an investment-driven marketing paradigm, identifying what it is your company does better than anyone else, or your value position, is foremost in generating a road map for ongoing development of targeted integrated tactics. Filtering business goals through your unique value position will help to clarify what needs to be communicated to which audiences, as well as suggest tactics and channels that will have the greatest impact. Key performance indicators will allow for measurement of success and testing. Scalable and repeatable, this model creates a living marketing entity that can be tweaked, adjusted, and modified as priorities shift.

Tactics are tactile after all

Producing tactics has always seemed to be the way to go. Having something to hold in your hand or even view on screen is satisfying and has provided the illusion of accomplishment. Financial risks today are too high to mistake action for progress. Investing in a value focused internal and external marketing communications plan offers the potential for great rewards.

TMG is keeping a close eye on ‘repurposing.’ Dictionary.com does not list the word, but offers this definition for purpose: the reason (sic) for which (sic) something exists or is done, made, used, etc. It seems only logical that repurposing can be defined as a modification of the original reason for which something exists or is done, made, or used in order provide renewed value.

Nothing Smells Worse than a Stale Blog

Savvy digital consumers looking for relevant content + marketers seeking a steady stream of information that can be easily transformed into content = repurposing. By linking existing thought leadership and information with the core of your brand (what you do better than anyone else) a repeatable and ongoing source of content has been identified. Repurposing information so that it is suitable for different audiences and a variety of tactics eliminates the need for marketing speak and goes directly to the heart of your company’s real value.

As marketing morphs from a one-way push activity to a dialogue-driven pull strategy, the idea of fixed content, of the type created for printed brochures, becomes less and less useful. In the rush to develop a corporate blog, for example, the challenge to post new and engaging content has been almost universally overlooked. The same can be said for the usual social media suspects Twitter and Facebook, as well as e-blasts, e-newsletters and webinars. Ever-changing digital content has made the old guards like event literature, tradeshow materials, and general collateral almost obsolete.

Renewed Value is Key

Yesterday’s processes for reaching the individuals in our markets provide weak results today. Great opportunities to engage and deliver real value lie in transforming the information and thought leadership your company generates daily into content that people in your market are eager to find and share. It’s a process that promises to be around for quite a while.

Economic shifts in the last decade coupled with the aggressive pace of technological advancement have forever altered the way businesses communicate with their markets, and most importantly, what they are saying. In fact, ‘markets’ have morphed into actual individuals, defying categorization and capable of responding quickly and directly to reach multitudes of like-minded consumers.

Intel founder Andrew Grove, in an address before the Academy of Management, described these über-changes as reactions to a strategic inflection point. Grove explained inflection point as the mark on a curvature where the arc shifts from concave to convex, or vice versa. In a business context, he saw this juncture as the spot where outside forces have challenged the norm, radically repositioning the landscape of the competitive environment. Resulting actions taken by a company’s leadership will alter the trajectory of success, either launching business to new heights or sinking revenues to new depths.

While the point itself may be static, it is not a place a company can afford to remain for any length of time. Recognition of the enormity of the change may be slow to emerge, but the response must be deliberate and well-focused. Old narratives, or company stories, must be abandoned in favor of key messages and communication strategies that will resonate within the new paradigm.

Be sure to look out for new marketing and messaging from both organizations, and we encourage you to support their causes! Please visit A Safe Haven and Common Threads for more information.

Dear George,

I’m very interested in TMG’s Ogee Platform and wondering if you could elaborate. Is it safe to assume the G in the logo refers to you, George?

In today’s challenged economic climate where market share is defined by digitally connected individuals, companies must understand what sets them apart and what they’re going to do about it.

Blue Plate, one of Chicago’s top catering companies, is a committed leader in socially responsible catering services. The company operates three business units including Events, Weddings, and Direct. Across all divisions, Blue Plate has invested significant time and resources into the development of operational efforts towards becoming a zero waste organization. Some of the company’s initiatives include activation of a robust recycling program, replacement of industry-standard disposables with reusable plates and utensils and a company-wide composting program. In addition, Blue Plate has established symbiotic relationships with organizations such as Pacific Garden Mission to donate un-served food and with Special E which repurposes leftover items from events as well as ReCork to make soles of shoes from recycled wine corks.

Blue Plate asked Treacy Marketing Group to develop a comprehensive brand strategy with key messaging to position Blue Plate’s sustainability efforts in the Chicago market. We started from the inside-out, initially focusing on educational messages for employees before moving on to streamline external messages and identify true competitive advantages for the company in the marketplace.

It was important to ensure that all forms of communication from menus and proposals to packaging and sales efforts appropriately told the Blue Plate sustainability story. Now, armed with the right tools and messaging, Blue Plate employees, both in the office and on-site, are able to proudly talk about the company’s commitment to sustainability.

With a combination of eco-conscious organizational policies and cohesive internal and external messaging to communicate their commitment to our environment, Blue Plate is well-positioned as a socially responsible company and is poised to become the sustainability leader in the catering industry nationwide.

After much deliberation and review, Treacy Marketing Group is excited to have selected these wonderful organizations to receive our strategic marketing services. Chosen from a very talented and laudable group of applicants, A Safe Haven Foundation and Common Threads exhibited enthusiasm and demonstrated opportunity for partnership with Treacy Marketing Group.

A Safe Haven Foundation’s enthusiasm was apparent from the start. The strong team expressed their appreciation for the opportunity and was more than determined to partner with us in accomplishing their marketing goals.  Neli Vazquez-Rowland, A Safe Haven Foundation’s president and winner of Chicago Magazine’s 2011 Chicagoan of the Year award, has worked hard to build an organization that changes lives and serves a needy population that is often overlooked. Although the organization is well run and fulfills its mission, Treacy Marketing Group will partner with A Safe Haven Foundation to create an overarching brand strategy to effectively communicate key messages to their target audiences.

Common Threads brought their hard work to life by presenting our team with a special treat, Spiced Apple Butter, made by the children who benefit from the organization’s programs. Common Threads’ passion for their work is worn on their aprons, as is their enthusiasm for helping children across the country learn about the importance of cooking and nutrition. Art Smith, co-founder of Common Threads and award-winning chef, created the organization to educate children on cultural diversity, nutrition and physical well being through cooking and the arts. Treacy Marketing Group is excited to partner with Common Threads to develop a brand plan that effectively captures a cohesive identity and positions the organization for national recognition.

We would like to truly thank each participating organization and their wonderful supporters. We were honored to receive such a great response, and we wish you all continued success!

Keep an eye out for more information about our work with A Safe Haven Foundation and Common Threads.

Here is his extended interview with Treacy Marketing Group.

What is your affiliation with The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and how did you get involved?
As an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, I became aware of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. I am now serving as Chairman of the Board of Visitors. As a member of the faculty, environmental study and sustainability development was an area of interest for me. The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is a unique enterprise because most of the faculty is affiliated with other schools or institutions, making it a very diverse group.

In your own words, what do you think it means to be a sustainable business?
This question has a lot of layers but overall, a sustainable business is one that strikes an appropriate balance between economic reward and responsibility for the greater good. Dating back to the origin of English law, capitalism existed for the collective good; not to be organized around profitability. It’s important for businesses to get back to the idea of balancing the collective good with profitability.

In regards to environmental education, who is someone that you admire most?
John Elkington is an author that I admire. He wrote the book titled Cannibals with Forks. Elkington invented the idea of the triple bottom line: People, Planet and Profit. His ideas about sustainability and business provide insight into that balance I mentioned earlier about the collective good and profitability.

What are the competitive advantages of operating a sustainable business today?
Marketplace necessity is a competitive advantage because it implements sustainability requirements in a business. Also, if you’re a sustainable business, you’re taking a lot of risk out of your business because you’re developing a holistic mindset that is necessary to be a part of the supply chain.

With Earth Day around the corner, if you could educate businesses on one aspect of the environment, what would it be?
Energy Literacy. Much like many other Presidents, President Obama is proposing an energy policy that attempts to reduce our dependence on oil. However, the vast majority of people who promote information about energy are flawed in their facts. These conversations about energy do not have enough basic knowledge. Overall, I think there should be a collective increase in energy literacy among businesses in order for them to appropriately promote their conversations about energy.

If you had one wish for the environment, what would it be?
I’d like to see humans value consumption less. Did you know that we would need four planets to sustain our living standards? It’s hard for some people to say, “My decision makes an impact globally.” But, it does. The issue here is consumption, and we need a new attitude to develop a different standard of living.

How do you explain sustainability vs. sustainable living? What is green bling?
Sustainability is a utopian aspiration that becomes forgotten because people believe it’s theoretical and that nothing is permanent. I think of sustainability as an overarching idea, whereas sustainable living is only acting sustainable on a day-to-day basis. The term “green bling” simply refers to symbolism without substance.

In what ways can a company reduce its overall carbon footprint?
Travel less. Companies should also be looking at their physical footprint and asking themselves, “Do I really need to be this big?” Overall, occupy less space and buy less stuff.

What is one tactic of strategic sustainability that you believe is most impactful?
It’s how we define our standard of living. As of now, we define our standard of living through means of consumption and economic reward. But, we have to rethink this. Around the world, people have much more modest circumstances and are very happy with their standard of living.

Dear George,

Everybody’s barking about sustainability, but where’s the bite?