the thought

Kathleen Destino

I recently came across this ad campaign for the Nick at Nite http://www.tvland.com/nickatnite/ channel and it made me chuckle. The final line in the series is:

“It’s 9pm, do you know where your brands are?”

I love these ads probably because we can relate to them here at Thayer Media. The advertisement is speaking to media buyers, such as those at our company, and reminding them of the benefit of advertising on the Nick at Nite channel.

To me, it speaks to two things:
1) Creative and Media have to work together to get the most out of the advertisement. Media is not only about the numbers and creative is not only about the talent. If media buyers don’t know what the creative looks like they could be sending the wrong message to the wrong audience at the very wrong time.
2) Placement is important. I think the ketchup and linens speak for themselves.

We focus every day on where our clients’ advertisements should (or shouldn’t) be placed to maximize their creative advertising campaign. We need to do everything we can to make sure the RIGHT person sees the RIGHT creative at the RIGHT time.

And sometimes it takes an ad about ketchup and linens to remind us of that.

04:34 PM | Permalink

April Thayer

So I was a victim recently of a direct marketing campaign from the United States Postal Service (my tax dollars at work- don’t get me started) which had to be one of the most expensive things I’d ever seen.

It was a die-cut dinosaur, with the words “media plannerus extinctus” emblazoned on the front. And there was a bunch of blather on the back about direct mail, courtesy of their integrated services division. Printed on very heavy card stock – it was quite beautiful.

But, since when do you make friends with people by flashing them with extinction messages? And talk about extinct! I can’t remember the last time I bought stamps for my personal use. (Okay, I admit it, all my bills get sent out under cover of someone else’s postage account.)

Who are they kidding? I sent a postcard back to the office last year from Greenport, LI, and had to use a couple of old stamps I found in the bottom of a summer purse I unearthed for the trip. I don’t buy stamps anymore and now that I’ve been reminded of my status in the world, I don’t want to. So there, USPS – good luck with your future too!

P.S. I want my tax dollars back for the piece you sent me – what’d it cost you?

10:29 AM | Permalink

April, our head honcho and bearer of the agency name heard the band name Hoobastank while traveling in the car with her teenaged son and it struck her as very fun to say. It led her to ask the office for input on other people's favorite band names. Here's what we've come up with so far.

Hoobastank
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Eagles of Death Metal
Chumbawamba
Deep Banana Blackout
Soul Coughing
Disco Biscuits
People Under the Stairs
My Chemical Romance
Six Organs of Admittance

10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Picture from avonwalk.org

Kathleen Destino

Thayer Media is participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer http://www.avonwalk.org on June 24 & 25, 2006 in Denver, CO. This is the second time that Thayer Media has participated in the 2-day, 39-mile walk! We have four tough walkers and an agency of 18 supporting them in spirit as well as fundraising efforts.

Each individual is to raise $1,800 to participate in the walk. With four walkers, Thayer Media’s goal is $7,200. We are hard at work asking friends and family to support us with monetary donations.

In addition to asking for donations, we held a fundraiser at our office on May 18th. We sold books, CDs and DVDs that our employees and friends donated to the sale. Going into the event we had raised approximately 25% of the money we committed to raise. Our vendors and reps, clients, friends and even people in our office building came to support us by purchasing books and making donations for the food and beverages we provided. We made approximately $2,000 which brought us to just over halfway to our goal!

Check out our progress:

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?team_id=21810&pg=team&fr_id=1180

If you would like to make a donation, please make check payable to:

Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade attention Donations

And send to:
9000 East Nichols Ave., Suite 170
Centennial, CO 80112

before June 15, 2006. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

02:58 PM | Permalink

Thayer Media, one of the largest media planning, buying and placement agencies in the Rocky Mountain West, has acquired 9 new clients over the last six months.

Clients include:
Citadel Mall - shopping center, Colorado Springs
Citywide Banks - Denver-based business bank
Denver Radio Company -
KTNI - Martini 101.5 FM
KSYY - Sassy 107.1 FM
FlatIron Crossing - shopping center, Broomfield
Hallmark Consulting - financial consultants
Heather Gardens Brokers -
5301 - $6 million redevelopment house
Life in the Fast Lane - Denver Grand Prix
Qdoba Mexican Grill - Corporate markets
Two Qdoba franchisees – one in Michigan and one in Wisconsin
Twenty-Ninth Street – outdoor shopping district, Boulder

Thayer Media has also partnered with Burns Marketing, an advertising agency located in Fort Collins. They are working together with two clients, WINHealth, a Wyoming insurance company, and IntaJuice, a Fort Collins based juice bar franchise.

A thirteen year-old agency with annualized billings in excess of $25 million, Thayer Media has grown to become one of the largest woman-owned firms in Colorado. Thayer Media represents a broad spectrum of clients in a variety of industries ranging from restaurants to financial services to real estate investment trusts.

09:35 AM | Permalink

Curtis Hart

Recently, I was one of nine recipients of a friend’s email referring me to the Phillips Bodygroom website. This is an example of viral marketing at its best. In this Amway-esque example, each person passes the information on and soon enough there is a pyramid of people referring each other to the site.

Or perhaps not.

I didn't forward the site on. I didn't think it was that funny, the product wasn't that interesting and I didn’t see any novelty to the site. I can, however, appreciate the marketing campaign.

Word of mouth marketing or, in internet terms, viral marketing, is one of the hardest forms of promotion. But the payoffs are big. Viral marketing is often considered free because once you get the ball rolling, its momentum will carry the message to the far reaches of the market. The interest it generates is active, and people engage in the marketing, whereas other forms of marketing are passive. No one rips a print ad out, photocopies it and gives it to ten friends (not unless they are my mom and it's for a miracle vitamin.)

Every Virus Must Have Its Typhoid Mary.
Viral marketing hinges on the idea of one person telling many. What's impressive about the Bodygroom campaign is how well they have defined their market, created content for that market, and then seeded the virus. Getting men to shave their backs, chests, legs and "other areas" seems like a monumental task. Phillips seeded the virus by doing product tie-ins on the uncensored Howard Stern show. With a listenership of approximately 3 million, that’s one way of getting the ball rolling. Additionally it was targeted properly--if you’re a Stern listener you are not going to be offended by the website.

The Free Myth
What's free about a product tie-in on the Howard Stern Show? NOTHING! The same is true of other campaigns of this nature: American Express' Seinfeld and Superman web episodes used TV ads to seed the marketing process and BMW's web exclusive features with Clive Owen used "news" articles to jumpstart the viral marketing.

Ultimately I'm Not Buying
While I know some men that could use a back shave, I'm not buying a Bodygroom, as a present or for personal uses. But I'm not the center of the universe. Here for your consumption is the URL - remember the product was featured on Howard Stern, the new uncensored show on Sirius satellite radio (plug).
http://www.shaveeverywhere.com

As April said in the Q1 newsletter, if you want to engage someone, make an engaging offer. Selling a Cadillac for $1 doesn't take a whole lot of advertising.

02:05 PM | Permalink

Thayer Media, one of the largest media planning, buying and placement agencies in the Rocky Mountain West, has hired Jeff Ziese as its Chief Financial Officer. Jeff’s responsibilities will include finance, systems, personnel and operations. In addition, he will be the key contact for clients regarding billing.

Jeff brings a wealth of experience in operating and managing businesses. Prior to joining Thayer Media, he was the Administrator for several law firms and was also the CFO of Cactus Marketing Communications. He was responsible for much of their technology, network, multimedia and computer solutions. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

A thirteen year-old agency with annualized billings in excess of $25 million, Thayer Media has grown to become one of the largest woman-owned firms in Colorado. Thayer Media represents a broad spectrum of clients in a variety of industries ranging from restaurants to financial services to real estate investment trusts.

09:36 AM | Permalink