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RAZR Acquires Renowned Design Agency Larsen
RAZR, a Minnetonka-headquartered marketing services and technology company, has acquired Larsen Design, a Twin Cities-based branding, visual and experiential design agency. The acquisition gives the […]
That's a lot of zero and a trillion dollars can cure a lot. According to the February 2014 edition of Inc. Magazine's article, "The Trillion Dollar Cure" the mhealth industry may be the elixir the healthcare system is seeking. According to the author David H. Freedman, the key issue is…
We love veterans and Veteran's Day. Heck a lot of our family members are veterans – my family has served in every American war since the revolution. But back in the day, Veteran's Day was a bank holiday. The post office was closed. We didn't get mail. That was it.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce it has been honored as one of theMinneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's Fast 50.
What feels like a departure from expected or normal might just be the path you're supposed to take.
Sometimes the most meaningful reminders can come when you least expect them, and from the most unlikely sources.
Most kids don't think too highly of their parents' jobs—after all, it's the place that takes us away from them.
A reminder that basic practices in customer service (such as the easy task of returning a phone call) can have a big impact on your business.
When a brand names a celebrity as a creative director, what does it really accomplish? Is it enough to create sustainable change?
The marketing community is feeling the pressure to create compelling, shareable content that changes audience behavior.
According to the long-term study, Ten Modifiable Health Risks (Health Affairs, 2013), depression is the number one health risk in the U.S.
Use Pinterest for business to reinforce your brand, engage with customers, develop meaningful connections and drive traffic.
The latest Prepaid Consumer Insights Study from First Data has quickly become one of RAZR's favorite reports of the year, for good reason. First, it […]
Seven things I learned at SXSW Interactive in 2013.
How a formal employee volunteer program can have a positive impact on your workforce.
Darren Nauss presents a different approach to the great work-life balance debate.
How do you relate social media efforts back to business objectives? New research shines light on the ROI of social media.
When you instantly gratify your customers, you forge deeper connections with them by allowing them to experience the satisfaction that comes from interacting with your brand in real time.
In the middle of our main course, the waiter stopped by our table to see how we were doing. He waited until he had our attention then asked, "Is everything okay?"
Five little words can help you transform an ordinary customer to a raving fan. When's the last time you assured your customers "it's all taken care of?"
Designing presentations in PowerPoint can be daunting for some. Luckily, our in-house presentation designer has some advice.
Are you effectively engaging your loyalty program participants? Ideas for improving communication and engagement.
My wife watched the Today Show interview of Olga Kotelko (lots on YouTube), and when I asked Carol about it, her first comment was, "She looked so old". My response "Well, she is 94 you know". And that is the mystique of Olga.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to unveil Altitude, our agency's foray into the blogosphere.
RAZR, a Minnetonka-headquartered marketing services and technology company, has acquired Larsen Design, a Twin Cities-based branding, visual and experiential design agency. The acquisition gives the […]
RAZR Health welcomes the opportunity to present at this unique and influential conference.
Recently, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal announced the finalists in its annual "Best in Real Estate" Competition.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce that a direct response mailing they developed was given a Gold award and named Best In Show at the 2013 Midwest Direct Marketing Association (MDMA) ARC awards.
RAZR Marketing was recently honored with a Communitas Award for donating over 1,130 hours of community service to various organizations in 2011.
Danielle is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she double majored in marketing and communication.
Maggie Sears helps ensure RAZR's clients get strategic insights, impeccable service and wildly creative marketing solutions.
2011 was a year of exciting change, jovial celebrations and lots of hard work at RAZR Marketing.
RAZR Marketing is partnering with SuperSibs! to host the second Your Time to Shine luncheon in Minneapolis on May 12, 2012 at the Minneapolis Hilton. Your Time To Shine is a luncheon to honor and recognize the mothers of children who battle pediatric cancer.
We are delighted to announce that RAZR CEO and President, Darren Nauss, was named a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 program in the Upper Midwest.
Mark Hamann will help RAZR develop software solutions that give clients a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
RAZR Marketing is welcoming Sam Archbold as a new Account General Manager.
RAZR welcomes Sarah Cole to the team! Sarah brings a great deal of enthusiasm and gusto to her role as a senior account director/sales for RAZR Marketing.
Stephanie Uphoff recently joined RAZR Marketing as executive assistant to the CEO.
RAZR Marketing's television campaign for Travel Leaders won a 2013 Gold Magellan Award for Best TV Commercial.
Whether you are getting ready to launch a company, refreshed brand, new product or new tool, the same core elements are foundational for every successful launch.
Relevant creative—the kind that's fully capable of changing behavior—makes us giddy.
Holiday parties and office treats have created the opportunity for all of us to increase our weight. However, Santa, with access to milk and cookies (rather than eating the carrots left for his reindeer), will no doubt beat us all for per person pound increase.
Scott Patten has joined RAZR Marketing as managing director.
To build the best presentations, make sure you do these three things when you start.
Are your emails building relationships or creating noise? Some email marketing programs have a striking similarity to the age-old tale for children.
Although the article is nearly 10 years old, it neatly sums up the current debate about emphasizing preventive care versus treating illness.
When a brand names a celebrity as a creative director, what does it really accomplish? Is it enough to create sustainable change?
Darren Nauss talks about the importance of taking chances and stepping outside your "safety zone."
Before starting any presentation in PowerPoint, I always make sure I know about three things––the who, how and where.
The RAZR Marketing team ventured to KARE 11 studios for the 4:00 p.m. broadcast to drop off the Toys for Tots we collected.
RAZR Marketing is once again collecting Toys for Tots to help children in need this holiday season.
When we talk to clients at RAZR, we're pretty consistent about advocating the value of communicating change multiple times, no matter who the audience.
Members of the RAZR Marketing team are participating in SIBTEMBER to support the siblings of children with cancer.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce four client campaigns were selected to receive recognition in the 2011 MarCom awards.
The financial industry is experiencing the same high-speed changes occurring in other industries. As you might expect, consumers are driving the change by expecting more […]
A story of how the right communication at the right time can change consumer behavior.
Vine is a video app that lets you create and share six-second, quick-hit video clips.
RAZR, a Minnetonka-headquartered marketing services and technology company, has acquired Larsen Design, a Twin Cities-based branding, visual and experiential design agency. The acquisition gives the […]
The financial industry is experiencing the same high-speed changes occurring in other industries. As you might expect, consumers are driving the change by expecting more […]
The latest Prepaid Consumer Insights Study from First Data has quickly become one of RAZR's favorite reports of the year, for good reason. First, it […]
According to the long-term study, Ten Modifiable Health Risks (Health Affairs, 2013), depression is the number one health risk in the U.S.
RAZR Health welcomes the opportunity to present at this unique and influential conference.
That's a lot of zero and a trillion dollars can cure a lot. According to the February 2014 edition of Inc. Magazine's article, "The Trillion Dollar Cure" the mhealth industry may be the elixir the healthcare system is seeking. According to the author David H. Freedman, the key issue is…
My wife watched the Today Show interview of Olga Kotelko (lots on YouTube), and when I asked Carol about it, her first comment was, "She looked so old". My response "Well, she is 94 you know". And that is the mystique of Olga.
RAZR Marketing is welcoming Sam Archbold as a new Account General Manager.
RAZR Marketing's television campaign for Travel Leaders won a 2013 Gold Magellan Award for Best TV Commercial.
RAZR, a Minnetonka-headquartered marketing services and technology company, has acquired Larsen Design, a Twin Cities-based branding, visual and experiential design agency.
The acquisition gives the fast-growing RAZR a substantial infusion of world-class creative talent to complement its technology-based consumer engagement business. "Larsen brings a rich, 40-year history of globally visible work in branded communication design," says RAZR CEO Darren Nauss. "This team of smart, engaged marketers will help us deepen our conversations with existing clients and pitch an enhanced suite of capabilities."
Nauss sees the branding strengths of the Larsen team — which serves clients including Medtronic, Blanchard and Co., MTS Systems, Inc., and Children's Hospitals and Clinics, among others — as an essential asset that will differentiate RAZR by optimizing audience engagement. "On the spectrum of marketing engagement, one of the first things a consumer engages with is a brand identity," he says. "So savvy brand development is the launch pad for a holistic marketing strategy."
Now in its tenth year and scaling rapidly with year-to-date growth of over 32%, RAZR drives measurable audience engagement results for category-leading clients in financial services, healthcare, wealth management, and other dynamic industries. The Larsen team will relocate to RAZR's HQ office as the companies' operations, employees and specialized practices are fully integrated.
RAZR has been recognized with numerous honors including the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's Best Places to Work List and the Fast 50 Award for the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities. It operates more than 175 credit cardholder loyalty programs and over 100 Medicaid incentive programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The financial industry is experiencing the same high-speed changes occurring in other industries. As you might expect, consumers are driving the change by expecting more convenience and personal relevancy with every interaction. To grow and compete in the digital age, your business needs to continually evolve to accommodate consumer expectations.
At RAZR Marketing, we encourage our RIA clients to consider how they offer services to their clients in the digital space. A significant change is taking place in the way advisors offer their services online using "Robo Advisors." The change comes as consumers are enjoying the convenience of interacting with financial institutions through digital or mobile applications (e.g. banking and mobile payments like Apple Pay).
We predict consumers will quickly come to expect those same digital and mobile conveniences from their financial advisors. In a recent article in FinancialPlanning.com, "Which Robo Advisors Will Survive?," author Charles Paikert identifies several firms that are taking this trend seriously, including Wealthfront and Betterment. They've accumulated over $16 Billion in investable assets through Robo Advisor services.
In addition to expecting automated services to be available in the digital space, your clients are looking for personal, timely and relevant communications. At RAZR, we make sure our RIA clients are paying more attention to their website and adding social media tactics to their communication plans. With good reason.
What's the first thing a potential client will do when receiving a referral? Google the firm's name. They'll view the firm's website and social media channels to confirm credibility and determine what it's like to work with the firm. That's why we help our clients audit their website to see if it accurately represents their clients' experience. Typically it does not. We also help them determine how best to use social media to represent their firm's culture and provide credibility, all while staying well within SEC guidelines.
As your clients' expectations continue to evolve, position yourself for success and increase your digital presence to encourage growth, stay competitive and stay relevant.
The latest Prepaid Consumer Insights Study from First Data has quickly become one of RAZR's favorite reports of the year, for good reason. First, it hits on all our favorite topics: prepaid, loyalty and online transactions. Second, the information is presented in a very creative way—fun to read, interactive and engaging.
What did we find most interesting?
Ok, we already knew that. But we LOVE seeing proof! According to the study, 32% of respondents made a purchase, even though they were not planning on making a purchase at that store. Why? Because they were offered an incentive. Forty percent also spent more than planned because of an incentive. And on average, respondents purchased two cards in the past 12 months because they were offered loyalty rewards. To top it all off, of respondents who reloaded a gift card, 35% reloaded because they received loyalty rewards.
First Data did an excellent job making this report interactive and enjoyable to read. Creative visuals, animations, photography and interactive graphs grab the readers' attention and make the report much more engaging.
By Phil Dell
The jarring middle-of-the-night phone call, the desperate voice of my sister-in-law, Bobbie saying "I don't want to live anymore," keeping her on the phone until we arrive at her home, assessing the situation and taking her to the mental health department of a local hospital and getting the treatment that stabilized Bobbie and renewed her will to live. Depression is personal, real and shattering, a healthcare issue that affects millions.
Last month's article was about the Trillion Dollar Cure. This month, we're looking at "The Half-Trillion-Dollar Depression". We've all been "depressed" at points in our lives—that's normal. But when depression invisibly takes over one's life, it has a devastating and crushing impact.
We knew "something was wrong" in Bobbie's life. But she was unable to articulate what it was until almost too late. Bobbie is an extreme case. Most people who are depressed simply live with it because they believe it can't be addressed or are embarrassed about being labeled "mentally ill."
"Depression is a complex condition characterized by changes in thinking, mood, or behavior that can affect anyone. Depression is influenced by a number of factors such as genetics; physiology (e.g., neurotransmitters), psychology (e.g., personality and temperament), gender, and the environment (e.g., physical environment and social support)." {CDC/Depression}.
According to the long-term study, Ten Modifiable Health Risks (Health Affairs, 2013), depression is the number one health risk in the U.S. Depressed employees, 11 percent of the work force, spend an average of $2,184 (48 percent) more on healthcare costs than their non-depressed co-workers.
Here's some powerful data from NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Health, (2014, www.nami.org)
Here are additional insights from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014, www.cdc.gov)
The dollars and statistics alone are noteworthy. But the cost of depression goes much higher and deeper. The article, "The Half-Trillion-Dollar Depression" (New York Times, 2013, attached), lays out the complexity well. Another article, "An Update on How the U.S. Affordable Care Act Impacts Mental Health Care" (World of Psychology, 2013, attached), provides some hope for improved access to treatment, more effective treatment and a general awareness that depression is a major health issue.
But this is the crucial issue: The CDC numbers about the lower percentage of individuals seeking treatment (the third CDC bullet above) tell the real story. The healthcare system and our culture in general do not perceive mental health as a genuine healthcare issue. If that attitude were to shift, it's clear the impact of depression would no longer be the number one healthcare risk. Meanwhile, someone with mental health issues is likely to be dismissively characterized as "crazy," and the "treatment" they receive might be advice to "just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on with life"—a cruel and ineffective perception and answer.
Until the medical community and public recognize depression and related disorders as healthcare issues, not mental health issues, and make their treatment a priority, the cost of depression will continue to rise and depressed individuals and their families will pay a high price in time, money and human life.
RAZR Health has been selected to present at the 2014 Managed Care Executive Group (MCEG) inaugural Innovation Lab event at the MCEG Annual Forum in Nashville, TN on April 11, 2014. The competition among potential presenters was significant, with over 40 submissions. MCEG selected only five companies representing some of the most innovative and transformative ideas in healthcare today.
RAZR Health's innovative technology and service solution focuses on creating sustainable behavior change among healthcare consumers. Using a groundbreaking software platform integrated with state-of-the-art health resources and tools, RAZR Health allows an individual to personalize their health and wellness goals and activities. Knocking down barriers to success through awareness, education, accountability and motivation, RAZR Health empowers individuals to improve their health using mobile and digital capabilities. The key: engaging the healthcare consumer, much as they are with Netflix, Zite, Facebook or other social media, and giving them tools to create their own highly personalized and relevant approach to their health.
At the event, MCEG attendees will evaluate the five presentations/technologies and provide feedback. Based on MCEG Annual Forum attendee voting during the Innovation Lab, in conjunction with RFI information, participating organizations will be honored with MCEG Innovation Lab awards, and the top three technologies will be awarded "MCEG Top Innovator" recognition.
MCEG prides itself on staging a forum that brings together 30 to 50 key leaders in health plans and other related industries to discuss the most urgent topics impacting healthcare today. This year's theme, "Race for Relevance – a 360 o Healthcare Transformation" couldn't be timelier with the ACA changes and the energy surrounding the entire industry. This year also marks MCEG's 25th Anniversary.
RAZR Health welcomes the opportunity to present at this unique and influential conference. RAZR Marketing CEO, Darren Nauss, says, "We're very excited to have the opportunity to tell our story at the MCEG forum. The healthcare solution we're presenting has the potential to bring significant positive change to the entire healthcare market and help consumers feel truly invested in how they can impact their health and wellness."
By Phil Dell
That's a lot of zero and a trillion dollars can cure a lot. According to the February 2014 edition of Inc. Magazine's article, "The Trillion Dollar Cure" the mhealth industry may be the elixir the healthcare system is seeking. According to the author David H. Freedman, the key issue is…
"How do you get the patients to provide the information that health care providers desperately need, and rarely get, in order to improve care while cutting costs?"
Mr. Freedman goes on to explain how the Affordable Care Act's real impact is that…
"It changes the underlying business model of all of health care. Until now the model was simply that the more treatments doctors and hospitals provided, the more they got paid. Under Obamacare, the preferred model is value based – that is, hospitals get paid not to treat patients but to keep them healthy and avoid treatment."
The next premise is that technology, specifically mhealth, will provide the collection and access to the information that helps curb the need for costly treatment i.e. "the cure". Mr. Freedman provides "pain points" examples such as:
While his examples are somewhat persuasive he contradicts his own argument with his statement…
"The tricky part of reducing health care spending is that most of what affects a patient's need for treatment happens outside the hospital and doctor's office – diet and exercise, the onset of ominous symptoms, adherence to medication regimens, and much more."
And so the question remains – does information help health care providers and systems manage patient care more effectively by reducing costs and improving quality. The data can show health status or results but the results of what? In the end it is about enabling and empowering consumers to better manage their own health. Information can tell a story of who, what and when– but the why and how remains elusive. Data is a snapshot in time – by the time it is compiled and analyzed everything has moved forward. Data, through technology/mhealth, certainly provides insight and is useful in assessing health care status – but it appears that stand alone it is piece of the puzzle not the cure.
That being said, billions of dollars will be poured into mhealth on the momentum and dream (nightmare) of a cure in the desperate search for a solution for health care costs and quality. Billions will be made and lost as health care businesses drive the market to create profit – the American way of health care. Inc. is, after all, a business magazine.
But have the right questions been asked? Does consumer behavior have the bigger impact? How do technology and date change human behavior? Enjoy the article and pondering if the article is accurately portraying a real solution or just another rush to something that five years from now will be a forgotten trend.
By Phil Dell
My wife watched the Today Show interview of Olga Kotelko (lots on YouTube), and when I asked Carol about it, her first comment was, "She looked so old". My response "Well, she is 94 you know". And that is the mystique of Olga.
She is a world class athlete – a "super senior". She is defying and defining aging. Bruce Grierson, an award winning author, has captured the essence of Olga and aging in his new book, 6 Lessons of Living Longer and Staying Sharp from a Non-Agenarian Track Star. In the introduction to the book, this is Grierson's view of what happened to him.
"Boom…Something…gave. Age flooded in all at once. It really did feel that sudden. Gone, just like that, the jump, the stamina, the drive, the memory, the hair. Gone, any right to use the noun performance in any context. And with those changes came a fairly radical shift in attitude. Each sunrise no longer dialed up a sense of hope but resignation". (Page 8).
YIKES! Yes, we are all aging – the question is how well? I am almost 65 – eligible for Social Security and I just got my Medicare card in the mail – but I'm not quite where Bruce is at 47. I am grateful for how I feel – or I am fairly delusional. Each sunrise still provides hope and opportunity – and for you?
After reading the book I have a new view of my own health and aging and of those around me. The insights were both sobering and hopeful. In the end (or actually before the end), there are many opportunities to improve our aging. The book takes the reader through aspects of the science of aging (with an excellent bibliography too), to open one's eyes to opportunities to create one's best (all facets of healthiest) life.
I first learned of Olga in Bruce's Parade Magazine article (Today Show interview). I called him to gain more insights. A few of his comments:
In summary – here are Olga's Rules (more detail in the book):
1. Keep Moving
2. Create Routines (but Sometimes Break Them)
3. Be Opportunistic
4. Be a Mensch
5. Believe in Something
6. Lighten Up
7. Cultivate a Sense of Progress
8. Don't Do It If You Don't Love It
9. Begin Now
There are lots more fascinating studies and information about the science of aging in the book that I think you could find helpful as you age – and I hope that is for a very long time.
P.S. Olga has her own book coming out in March, 2014 with recipes and more discernment about aging.
RAZR Marketing is welcoming Sam Archbold as a new Account General Manager. As an AGM, Sam is responsible for providing strategic direction and ideas for growing business with current RAZR clients, as well as developing new business relationships.
Sam is a Minnesota native who left his home state for the warmth and opportunities of Arizona to start a career in digital marketing with Acquity Group. He quickly immersed himself in digital strategy and large-scale technology rollouts, from e-commerce to content management systems.
Staying with the warm weather theme, Sam moved on to Tennessee and digital marketing agency AREA203. He started as head of Business Development and wasted no time in proving his marketing abilities, helping the agency expand from 30 to 85 employees in four years. He assumed additional responsibilities as National Account Director for Envision Management Group, a holding company for AREA203 and six other businesses ranging from lead generation to cloud-based consulting.
Sam describes himself as "a convivialist" who is fond of eating, drinking and enjoying the merry company of others. He should fit right in at RAZR.
Find out more about Sam here, and join us in welcoming him to RAZR!
Travel Leaders and RAZR Marketing recently won a 2013 Gold Magellan Award for Best TV Commercial, one of a record 15 Magellan Awards earned by Travel Leaders franchise group this year. Sponsored by Travel Weekly, the awards honor the best in travel, from design to marketing to services, and recognize a broad range of industry segments, including hospitality, destination and travel agents. Travel Weekly is one of the most influential news resources for the travel industry.
The We Get You campaign kicked off a new branding effort that included print, digital and broadcast. The campaign addresses the evolution of the travel market and how successful agencies are combining high-tech tools with high-touch customer service to create unique travel experiences for their customers.
Each of the three We Get You TV spots showcases a series of quirky individuals to underline the highly personal nature of travel and the value of using a Travel Leaders agency to satisfy your personal travel preferences.
"We're delighted the TV spots won the Magellan award," said Leeanne Huber, RAZR Marketing's VP of Creative and Marketing. "But even more importantly, we join Travel Leaders and their agency network in celebrating the strategy and message behind the campaign. The executions for this campaign have always been about raising awareness of the value that travel agents provide, something that's definitely lacking in do-it-yourself travel planning."
More information about the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards can be found here.
Participants in loyalty programs run by RAZR Marketing are making the most of their points this holiday season. From housewares to gadgets to games, click the image to see what's hot this year.
Scott Patten has joined RAZR Marketing as managing director. In this newly-created role, he will support the agency's continued growth by bringing a strategic and operational focus, enhancing RAZR's commitment to the customers and markets it serves.
With more than 20 years of experience helping companies move from start-up to market leader, Scott has held roles that include sales, marketing, development, operations and CEO. Nationally, he has spent the last several years working exclusively with small businesses in the areas of social and traditional marketing as well providing leadership, management consulting and coaching. Locally, Patten spent eight years in senior leadership at Marketing Architects, helping to grow the company into an advertising industry leader.
"RAZR has an impressive commitment to integrating its expertise and talents into our clients' organizations. Our take on partnering versus simply providing services dovetails perfectly with my client service philosophy," said Scott. "I couldn't be more pleased to join the agency during this critical time of growth and expansion."
"Scott has brought a great combination of intellect and passion to his business endeavors, and we're excited to have him working with us," said RAZR Marketing CEO Darren Nauss. "With Scott on board, we look forward to growing the level of service we provide – expanding our digital and social strategies and becoming even more responsive to the needs of our clients."
Scott is active in the Twin Cities community, serving as co-chairman of the Afton Planning Commission, chairman of the JPL Charity and an active Junior Achievement mentor.
Learn more about Scott.
By Phil Dell
Holiday parties and office treats have created the opportunity for all of us to increase our weight. However, Santa, with access to milk and cookies (rather than eating the carrots left for his reindeer), will no doubt beat us all for per person pound increase. Based on the attached article, on Santa's next visit to his primary care physician, he'll receive help to get down the chimney next year – and it will start with a long (six minutes and 35 seconds), discussion with his doctor. After a health risk appraisal, biometric testing, extensive blood work and other assessments, it will be determined that Santa is obese. Looking in the mirror would be cheaper and more efficient but this is healthcare after all.
The little (?) round belly like a bowl full of jelly needs to shrink to maintain Santa's health – otherwise he will continue to be the Poster Boy for obesity. Perhaps this is very Grinch-like, but my guess is that many of us want Santa to be healthy – and not a Type-2 Diabetic (too late?) and have all the other related chronic illnesses.
So, do the kids who sit on Santa's knee think Santa is fat? My vast research (my four year old grandson), says no. Liam's only concern was what Santa was going to do with his long Christmas gift list, especially something called Moon sand. Perhaps being obese is so common that it is invisible to most of us.
The article, "Doctors are told to get serious about nation's obesity epidemic", (Associated Press 11/13/2013), lays out the concerns and solutions.
1. How many doctors do you know actually do what they are told?
2. Will doctors enable sustainable behavior change resulting in a measurable impact on their patient's obesity?
3. Will "lifestyle intervention" programs get positive results? What is the incentive for individuals?
4. What is the real impact when the accepted result of a doctor's advice to eat less is a 1%-2% weight reduction?
More questions than answers – because it is a remarkably complex issue tied to all 10 Modifiable Health Risk. Perhaps the un-edited comments at the end of the articles (funny, political, cynical and accurate), will give your more insight.
Enjoy the holiday treats – you know you have January 1st and New Year's Resolutions on your mind…Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
By Scott Patten
On Monday, it was Veteran's Day.
We love veterans and Veteran's Day. Heck a lot of our family members are veterans – my family has served in every American war since the revolution. But back in the day, Veteran's Day was a bank holiday. The post office was closed. We didn't get mail. That was it.
Social media went crazy.
On Monday, Facebook was blazing. Twitter was buzzing. Google+ was… plussing? Whatever.
Now some of it was bad. I mean crass, crappy and frankly some of the worst marketing a company could ever do. Some of it. Brilliant. Right on tone. Smart, respectful and frankly, effective. But it wasn't what corporate America was saying. It was the fact that everyone was talking.
It dawned on me. Veteran's Day is a brand new holiday.
On Monday, it wasn't my grandmother's bank holiday any longer. It was a national conversation.
Voice of the customer is a big thing in marketing. We talk about it constantly with our customers. Some of them ignore us, some of them get it (others just nod their head up and down and pretend to get it). But here's the thing. It's never been easier to listen, talk or engage with your customers. To not only hear what they are saying, but to have a genuine conversation.
On Monday, I learned more about my extended family on Facebook than I ever knew. A high school friend served in the Air Force. My neighbor served in Korea. I even learned my brother (who did five tours in Iraq/Afghanistan) has about 30 good buddies that think he's the best sergeant in the world.
It was a conversation on social media that had an impact on how we think, and more importantly, how we behave. Case in point – the story of the WWII veteran who died. He had no friends, no family, and yet an entire city turned out for his funeral after hearing his story on social media.
On Monday, something changed for me. I fully believe Veteran's Day has become a new holiday. It can, and did, become a national conversation. And it was a conversation that only the smartest companies (thankfully our customers were part of that group) successfully navigated.
Understanding the Voice of your Customer has never been easier. Of course, it's also never been easier to mess it up.
Not just on Mondays…but every day.
By Jamie Guse
Vine is a video app that lets you create and share six-second, quick-hit video clips. Twitter launched Vine in January 2013, and it quickly exploded in the social space with over 40 million users worldwide.
How are brands using Vine?
While primarily a consumer app, brands and companies have begun using Vine as a part of their social media content strategy. Turns out there are plenty of ways to market a brand in six seconds. But the real question is, what's working?
Here's a Halloween example from Oreo:
Check out how creative Samsung got with their six seconds:
Brands can also use Vine videos to showcase their company's culture. Whether it's a virtual office tour, employee interviews or showing what it's really is like to be part of a company, Vine videos can provide that inside look.
BuzzFeed shares an inside look at their relaxed culture:
Of course what would this post be without our own Vine video? RAZR's Vine is actually multiple Vine videos edited together – a compilation of all our employee's "I Believe" statements.
By Phil Dell
"The Immediate vs the Important" (McGinnis and Foege, JAMA, 2004). Although the article is nearly 10 years old, it neatly sums up the current debate about emphasizing preventive care versus treating illness. What interests me most about the article is the insightful conclusion: in healthcare the more things change, the more they stay the same.
My current research tells me that we have made minimal progress toward a wellness-based healthcare model since this article was written. If anything, statistics show the general health and well-being of individuals is deteriorating. While healthcare professionals and policymakers discuss ways to "fix" all aspects of healthcare, they have the same conversation over and over. Barriers to solutions – the self-created complexity, financial illogicality and the entrenched bureaucracy of healthcare – have created overwhelming inertia, or worse, encouraged organizations and policy to head down the wrong path.
So what is the result? The individual healthcare consumer pays the ultimate price.
At RAZR Marketing we believe there is hope, a better way to inspire and sustain behavior change that enables people to take ownership of their health and well-being and produce measurable results.
Our mission at RAZR Health is to bring new life to healthcare and deploy fresh, simple, practical and effective solutions to improve individual health. We need powerful and creative partners like you to achieve that mission.
If you do not have time to read the article here are some key points you can take away…
1. "When Hippocrates observed that 'Protecting and developing health must rank even above that of restoring it when it is impaired', he set a standard that is difficult to meet.
2. "Every death has a definable history that usually can be traced back for decades and sometimes even for generations."
3. "Because a substantial proportion of early deaths among the U.S. population are preventable through lifestyle change, the social commitment to making those changes possible must be enhanced considerably."
4. "Decisions about whether to smoke, how much to drink, how much and what kinds of foods to consume and activities in which to engage, are the result of strong cultural and commercial signals."
5. "Unless strategies are specifically designed to address and improve the clarity and utility of these messages [regarding decisions in 4], US society will fall far short of the possible."
6. "Refining these insights into the root causes of illness and injury, presenting those insights in a fashion that can motivate and guide effective action and marshaling the effort to monitor the results of these actions will require steady improvement in the knowledge base."
7. "After all, 'Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Virtue is doing it.' " Jordan, DS, The Philosophy of Despair, 1902.
Kevin Nielsen, Lead Web Developer and Architect
Kevin couldn't wait to work at RAZR, which explains why it took him just three years to graduate from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Actually, he picked up some experience in between as an application developer. Now, he's devoting his considerable talent to full-source programming and developing applications for RAZR. Outside of work, Kevin is a water sports enthusiast who burns off energy waterskiing and wakeboarding.
Emily Roy, Senior Account Manager
With 10 years of experience in strategic planning and developing measurably effective marketing programs for a variety of clients, Emily adds a seasoned presence to RAZR's account team. She'll apply her wide-ranging skills to managing client relationships, as well as customer engagement and communication rollout. Away from RAZR, Emily likes to travel, stretch her cooking chops with challenging recipes and visit new restaurants.
Jamie Guse, Digital Marketing Manager
Jamie could be described as a classic early adopter of digital marketing and social media. He cut his teeth in the digital space over 14 years, working as everything from an e-marketing designer to an interactive strategist. At RAZR, he brings his unique brand of energy and insight to an increasingly active practice area for our clients. Aside from his legendary "Extreme Jamie" persona, he's actually a pretty down-to-earth guy who's very involved in the lives and activities of his three kids.
Lisa Murchie, Director of First Impressions
Fresh out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lisa is RAZR's first official Director of First Impressions. When guests step off the elevator into the RAZR lobby, Lisa's sparkling smile greets them, and her cordial welcome and high energy set the tone for how we engage our clients and each other. That positive energy extends outside RAZR, where she enjoys yoga classes and keeps moving with a variety of activities, indoors and out.
Learn more about Kevin, Emily, Jamie and Lisa on their team pages.
By Marcus Johnson
When we talk to clients at RAZR, we're pretty consistent about advocating the value of communicating change multiple times, no matter who the audience. Our pitch usually focuses on two themes:
Let's take a closer look at that mysterious x number.
First of all, 10x. Um—what? It's actually easy to understand. The ideal benchmark for communicating some news of change is 10 times. That may seem high. But too many agents of change (for example, a loyalty program) communicate too infrequently with their audience. If you want people to hear your message and act on it, 10 times is really what it takes to get results.
Let's use an old rule of rhetoric to put 10x communication in perspective. A practiced speech maker follows the time-tested three-step process when addressing an audience:
In other words, you preview your message to the audience, you give them the message and you review the message.
If you're launching a loyalty program, announcing a major initiative or considering a significant change to a current program, think about how important it is to bring your audience along with you. Then plan your sequence of communications accordingly. What forms will the communications take (emails, posters, flyers, brochures, web banners, statement inserts) and what is the timing for each?
Figure out how and how often you want to spread the word. If you follow that proven three-step process, you'll see how quickly you can generate at least 10 ways to tell your audience what's happening and what you want them to do.
More important, you'll greatly increase the likelihood of getting the response you want.
Good talk.
As RAZR Marketing's newest account manager, Maggie Sears helps ensure RAZR's clients get strategic insights, impeccable service and wildly creative marketing solutions.
Maggie comes to RAZR Marketing from MOSQUITO, where she was a project manager. Before that, Maggie held various roles at Shea, Kruskopf Coontz and the Minnesota Lynx. In each of her roles, Maggie was a valuable player to her clients and her internal teammates—organizing deliverables and presenting them in ways that exceeded client expectations.
When she's not building client relationships, Maggie can be found trying new restaurants around the Twin Cities, spending time at the lakes or traveling.
Find out more about Maggie here, and join us in welcoming her to our team!
Stephanie Uphoff recently joined RAZR Marketing as executive assistant to the CEO. In this role, she juggles priorities, schedules and occasionally flaming torches for RAZR CEO, Darren Nauss.
Stephanie's organizational skills and ability to anticipate, prioritize and deliver quickly make her a great fit for her new role. Before joining RAZR, she worked in various executive support roles at the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, Prime Therapeutics and Wells Fargo. Stephanie also has a passion for helping others, and she especially loves any opportunity to mentor or support children's causes.
When she's not keeping the executive team on track at RAZR Marketing, Stephanie can be found running, listening to live music, watching a Packer game or hanging out with her sons. Learn more about Stephanie here, and join us in welcoming Stephanie to the RAZR family!
By Paul Kelzer
When it comes to customers, channels, employees (everyone really) — they can't react, educate or even socialize about your loyalty program if you aren't sharing information about the program in a consistent and compelling way.
This is true of any communication medium, but it's even more relevant with social media, where engaging your audience is imperative. I recently had a chance to discuss some of these topics with colleagues from First Data and The Members Group. Here's a recap of that discussion:
Social Media Fuels Relationship Loyalty Programs
Members benefit from linking all of their credit and debit accounts under one rewards umbrella.
Social media empowers relationship loyalty programs to become powerful acquisition tools—but only if credit unions ensure members know how to reap the rewards.
"Once the technology's ready, you've got to talk about it," says Paul Kelzer, executive vice president, client services, for RAZR Marketing. He addressed a webinar from The Members Group, "Relationship Loyalty in a Social Media World."
"Secret programs don't work," he says. "You need to communicate often, you need to be consistent, and you've got to make sure everybody in your credit union understands it. And then it's about explaining to consumers not just what to do but what the possibilities are."
The exponential rise of social media and smartphones, combined with the advent of a cooperative model for point accumulation and redemption, has infinitely expanded those possibilities since relationship loyalty programs came onto the scene a decade ago.
Members benefit from linking their heretofore scattered credit and debit accounts under one rewards umbrella, either individually or with spouses, family, and friends. This simplifies benefit tracking, grows members' treasure chests more rapidly than if the accounts were separate, and allows for collective purchases or donations to various charities via both online and mobile channels.
Credit unions possess a vehicle to drive further engagement by offering point incentives for members who take out additional products such as mortgages and other loans. And when members advertise that they've cashed in their points for rewards or donated them to a certain cause, the ripple effect is felt not just within their personal circles, but throughout their social media circles as well.
This increases brand awareness and transforms members into ambassadors for a powerful grass-roots acquisition effort.
"Now members have the opportunity to say, 'Hey, if we link our points together we could invite a friend home and pay for their trip,'" says Molly Plozay, First Data's vice president of loyalty rewards. "Or, 'We could give a flat-screen TV to dad, who's using the oldest technology available.'
"Whatever it may be, it creates a conversation piece, and that conversation creates a unique opportunity for credit unions to acquire new cardholders through that family relationship."
Foster member engagement
Consumer interest in relationship loyalty has been high since the programs emerged in 2003, but technology limitations proved restricting. Then came the recession, when most programs were scuttled or suppressed, Plozay says.
The programs have returned as the economy stabilized, just as social media took off, so "this old concept has kind of a new wrapping around it," she says.
Financial institutions eliminated another hurdle by turning to a consumer-driven model for sign-up.
In the early days of such programs, credit unions had to decipher which groups of people could or would want to be linked, and that "guessing game" held up companies from further developing the programs. Now, both accountholders must confirm they want to be interwoven, and either can unlink their accounts at any time.
"The self-serve tool makes all the difference," says Matt Flynn, director of client relations for The Members Group.
Authentication remains a primary concern, and credit unions must have controls during the sign-up and redemption processes, including an audit function that allows for reviewing transactions brought into question.
Credit unions can foster engagement by creating "wow" experiences that allow members to drive the interaction. They include:
"Many of us working in loyalty rewards would not have expected that members would be willing to pay $79 to be part of a club," Plozay says. "The benefit derived from being part of that—such as free next-day shipping—is significant, so there has to be a value equation there. But that concept around club membership is continuing to grow."
Another recent phenomenon is pooling loyalty points toward a one-time fundraiser for a charity or cause. "That's something we've found a lot of enthusiasm around, especially from the credit union perspective," Plozay says.
Kelzer's advice for successful relationship loyalty programs: Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy prior to launch and leverage existing channels, Kelzer says.
Also, design external and internal marketing efforts around encouraging members to engage. Communicate the message frequently and consistently, and monitor your social media channels to maximize the reach of your credit union's relationship loyalty program.
"There are a lot of different social media outlets," Kelzer says. "It's not important to be on all of them, but those that you are on, make sure you do very well and monitor the activity and help shape the conversation. This will bring opportunities for you to better represent your brand and message."
Originally published in Credit Union Magazine, June 28, 2013
By Darren Nauss
We can dance if we want to,
We can leave your friends behind,
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance,
Well they're no friends of mine.
You guys all know the song from Men Without Hats. Catchy tune but no way to lead your life. How many of us go through life doing the Safety Dance? When's the last time you took a chance, tried something new or did something you were scared to do?
Go out and exercise that muscle, try something new, and live life outside the bounds of the Safety Dance.
Go on…just do it!
As a solutions architect for RAZR Marketing, Mark Hamann helps RAZR develop software solutions that give clients a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Mark brings nearly 20 years of experience to his role leading the software development team at RAZR Marketing. His previous experience also includes database administration, server and network infrastructure management, and enterprise architecture. Most recently, he specialized in architecting and developing web solutions.
Mark is an analytical and deliberative thinker, and he brings plenty of passion to his work. When he's not behind a computer, you can find him running, playing basketball, coaching youth sports or catching up on yard work.
Find out more about Mark here, and join us in welcoming him to our team!
By Lisa Kummer
When you instantly gratify your customers, you forge deeper connections with them by allowing them to experience the satisfaction that comes from interacting with your brand in real time. In the world of loyalty, this is especially important. Many loyalty programs allow customers to achieve rewards, but the longer a customer must wait to experience a reward, the weaker the association to your program and the behavior becomes.
One program that knows how to reinforce behaviors and reward in real-time is shopkick. This app brings many retailers together under one loyalty program. Amazingly, it includes the retailers I shop at most, such as Target, Babies R Us, Crate & Barrel, Macy's, Petco and Walgreens.
The shopkick app rewards me for very specific behaviors. I earn points every time I step into a Target or Best Buy, and I get alerts on my phone instantly telling me how many points I earned by doing so. I've also linked my credit card to my account, so every time I shop at Target or Babies R Us, I earn points based on my spend. And I'm alerted about my earnings before I walk out of the store.
Once my shopkick point balance reaches a certain amount, I redeem for an e-gift card to my favorite retailer, and within seconds the cashier can scan my phone and deduct my $5 reward from my purchase. Talk about instant gratification! This awesome loyalty app is like a game, and I'm hooked. I find myself going to Target instead of the grocery store so I can earn rewards more quickly.
But shopkick isn't the only company rewarding customers quickly. Today, many loyalty programs offer electronic rewards (like gift cards) and the ability to redeem for a reward in a retail environment. But there are companies who haven't grasped the idea of instant gratification yet.
While I love shopkick (okay, I'm obsessed), my favorite shoe store's loyalty program is frustrating. I receive my discount certificate three to four weeks after I earn it. The fact that I'm surprised when I receive my certificate isn't necessarily a good thing—if I didn't realize I earned a certificate when I made my purchase, my behavior isn't strongly reinforced. By today's standards, four weeks is an eternity to receive a reward. I see that lag time as a missed opportunity to engage with customers and reinforce purchase behavior in real time.
In a world where news and information is delivered instantly, make sure your rewards are too! Instant gratification is key to engaging your customers when it matters most, so make sure your loyalty program moves at today's pace.
By Emily Shannon
Here's a question I get all the time:
How do I relate my social media efforts to my business objectives? How can I show that I'm selling more products and services because of the activities I'm doing via social media?
Here's a huge letdown: you probably can't. Sure, there are ways you can tie a one-time social campaign or promotion to in-store sales or conversions. You can also look at overall sales data for a long period of time (when social media was being performed regularly) to see if social had any impact on sales. But if you're looking to put X into social media and get X out, you're going to be disappointed. It doesn't work like that.
But there is hope. A recent study suggests that 90 percent of consumers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with that brand on social media. 90 percent. That's a ton of recommendations and a lot of positive word-of-mouth about a brand. The same study found that social media efforts could generate a positive ROI for brands—for every $1.51 spent on social media in this study, over $5.00 could be generated.
What's notable about this study? The focus on interaction. It's not about just having a social media presence—it's about interacting with your customer.
Interaction is not the art of blasting your social customer base with a deal or promotion every month. It's about engaging in real, active dialogue with them; it's about creating content they actually consume; it's about being a positive presence where they're already communicating.
The mystique of social media will continue to boggle many a marketer, but its impact on developing a strong relationship with customers is becoming much more clear. Brands that are serious about capturing market share and competing in 2013 can't afford to be the brand that doesn't interact. If thousands—possibly millions—of other people are talking about a brand that isn't yours, there's a good chance they're not buying from you either.
Build a team, set a strategy and focus your social efforts on having a two-way conversation. You might even sell some stuff in the process.
By Paul Kelzer
Are your emails building relationships or just adding noise to my inbox? When I think about this notion, I think about the age-old tale of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. In this tale, the main character falsely yelled "wolf!" so many times that when he finally had something to yell about, no one was listening.
As a marketer, I am always looking to create the right mix of communication. Like the story about the boy and the wolf, messages need to be both timely and relevant to be effective in changing behavior.
At RAZR, we often tell our clients that secret programs don't work, and with that in mind we coach our clients on repeating key messages to audiences using various mediums. But sometimes, too many messages just becomes noise. This is especially true in the world of email marketing.
Some company's emails go straight to my trash, while others are worthy of an open and a read. Here's an example from my own inbox.
Men's Warehouse is my absolute favorite store. They always have exactly what I want, and the service is consistently fantastic. They know me when I walk in and always have great recommendations that fit my style. I love going there. But, I can't stand the emails I get from them. Quite frankly, their emails are a nuisance. Every day, I get at least one email telling me about a sale. C'mon already. If you really took the time to get to know me you would know I am already coming in to the store. And, let's face it; there is always a sale. Unfortunately, if Men's Warehouse ever did have something significant to share with me I would miss it because I've marked their messages as spam—and that's every email marketer's worst nightmare.
By contrast, my emails from Lifetime Fitness are messages I look forward to each week. I usually get just one a week on Sunday night. This is perfect because I almost always have down time on Sunday nights to read their note. More impressive is the fact that Lifetime asked me what I want to hear about. And even better? They listened. Each week I get articles and tips related to content tailored to me.
Lifetime Fitness has created an email marketing program that builds a deeper relationship with me—because of this, I always open up their emails and click through to one or more of the articles.
If you're yelling "wolf!" in your emails, consider the impact you're having on customer relationships. Stop yelling, and start building email strategies tailored to the types of content (and frequency of content) your customers desire. Without a proper strategy in place, you could be gobbled up.
Danielle Mondus is RAZR Marketing's newest client services specialist. In this role, Danielle will ensure client initiatives are executed with speed and precision—a skill she developed working in the racing industry. Danielle previously interned at NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kasson Speedway—positions that prepared her for fast-paced agency life.
Danielle is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she double majored in marketing and communication. (The badger fans in the office are glad to have one more on their side.) While in college, Danielle studied abroad in Vienna, Austria and become involved with Relay for Life.
Find out the important stuff—like what Danielle keeps in her fridge and what actress would play her in the movie of her life—here.
By Becky Arndt
When the topic of blogging recently came up in a team meeting, I thought to myself, "what could I possibly blog about?" Then it hit me. I wanted to blog about something near and dear to my heart—volunteering. You might be thinking what in the world does this have to do with business and marketing? The reality is, it has a lot to do with business and marketing.
People will talk. Others will notice.
Whenever I'm outside of the office and the subject of volunteering comes up, I always tell people that at RAZR Marketing, employees get 40 hours of paid time per year to volunteer. Whenever I say this, I get a look of amazement. Then responses vary from, "wow, you are really lucky" to "that is wonderful, I wish my employer did that."
Employees can be a company's most powerful marketing tools. When employees sing the praises of your organization they help evangelize your brand and attract top talent. According to Entrepreneur, the benefits of company volunteer programs include improved relations with the surrounding community and an enhanced public image. In a world where bad news is often the most memorable news, volunteer programs give people something good to talk about.
Volunteers are happy people. Happy people are pleasant to work with.
When people help contribute to a good cause, they feel better about the life they lead. According to findings from the Corporation for National & Community Service, volunteers have a sense of pride, satisfaction and accomplishment. They also learn to solve problems, strengthen communities, improve lives, connect to others and transform their own lives. Plus, recent research has found that volunteering actually has health benefits. Studies find that volunteers have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression.
Right now in corporate America, there's a focus on keeping workers healthy, motivated, engaged and happy. Volunteer program, anyone?
At RAZR, we are lucky that our leadership team considers our volunteer mission to be a worthy one. That's because they know it's not only good for the community, it's good for our employees and our company. Every year we create a video to highlight the volunteer stories that emerge from each employee's 40 hours of paid volunteer time. Here's our story from the hours that were donated in 2012.
In 2013 I challenge all of you, whether you are an employee or business owner, to do the following.
Get out there and Be Relevant!
A sure sign of summer has arrived at RAZR Marketing—interns! RAZR welcomes Andy Keiser and Nicollazzi Xiong to the team. We're excited to have these two in the office for extra support over the next few months.
Meet Andy, Client Services Intern
Andy is a recent high school graduate who will be a freshman at Miami University in Ohio come August. As an intern for RAZR Marketing's client services team, Andy will be assisting with research projects and the implementation of several internal initiatives. Although he hasn't yet started his college career, Andy has an initial interest in business. His involvement with RAZR's client services division will help him better understand how companies collaborate to achieve great things—especially around strategic marketing initiatives. When he's not at RAZR, Andy can be found playing sports or hanging out with friends.
Meet Nicollazzi, Creative Intern
Nicollazzi Xiong is a graduate of The Art Institutes International where she studied graphic design. Nicollazzi will bring her modern and unique sense of style to several aspects of the business this summer—assisting the design team on client projects and leading several of RAZR's internal creative initiatives. Nicollazzi dove into the first phase of her internship headfirst, conducting photo shoots with the RAZR team and jumping in to help with a client's quick-turn Memorial Day campaign. When she's not at work, she's busy spending time with her new husband or maintaining her position as a local style icon.
So far, neither intern has fetched coffee for anyone, but we're holding out hope…
Welcome to RAZR Marketing, Andy and Nicollazzi! We're glad you're here.
By Lisa Stangl
Whether you are getting ready to launch a company, refreshed brand, new product or new tool, the same core elements are foundational for every successful launch.
1. Start with a solid strategy.
2. Communicate. And then communicate more.
We all know secret launches don't succeed, but are you communicating enough and to the right people?
The launch of anything new (large or small) creates a great opportunity to communicate across all of your audience groups, create a big splash and generate buzz, interest and demand for your brand. Know your audiences and create a plan to connect with them in the ways they receive information – pre, during and post launch.
3. Inform and educate.
A key element of the long-term success of whatever you're introducing to your audiences and the market, is ensuring they have the understanding and tools they need to position, interact with, sell, buy or use this new offering. For example, if you have a fantastic new product you are introducing to your sales team, but they don't understand its value, or how it differs from competitors' products, the adoption rate will be low, and as a result, so will the ROI.
4. And finally, incent and motivate.
Even if you are introducing a great new product you are sure everyone will want, creating a compelling reason why they should get out of their comfort zone and try something different significantly increases success rates.
Keep in mind, the launch is just the launch – the first step. It creates a strong platform for future success. However, to achieve your objectives and deliver the results you are looking for, it is essential that you continue the conversation. Create a forum for feedback and dialogue, and use that information (along with more quantitative measures) to evolve your marketing and communication efforts over time.
Start strategically, communicate creatively and consistently, inform and educate to drive understanding and adoption, and motivate your audiences in unique and relevant ways to change their behavior. Now that's the path to a successful launch.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce that a direct response mailing they developed for Nahan Printing was given a Gold award and namedBest In Show at the 2013 Midwest Direct Marketing Association (MDMA) ARC awards. ARC stands for Art, Response and Copy and is the premier direct marketing competition in the Upper Midwest.
The attention-grabbing, dimensional mailing highlights St. Cloud-based Nahan's unique combination of world-class printing capabilities and small-town, high-touch service. In addition to the strong leads generated from the mailing, the package generated buzz among recipients. Several prospects took pictures of the mailer and sent them to Nahan, complimenting the creative and commenting on what a striking piece it was to receive in the mail.
Gold-level winners of the 2013 MDMA ARC Awards will automatically bypass the first round of judging for the 2013 DMA International ECHO Awards.
"It's always exciting when our creative wins awards, but it's even more meaningful when the award also recognizes the strong results of a campaign," said RAZR Marketing VP of Marketing & Creative Services, Leeanne Huber. "Nahan is a wonderful client, and their input and collaboration on this project was critical to its success."
More information about the 2013 MDMA ARC awards can be found by visiting www.mdma.org.
By Marcus Johnson
I'm catching up on some work around my house. So I recently made a few phone calls to various tradespeople for the usual reasons—request estimates, check on their availability, etc. As it happened, every call rang through to voicemail and I left messages requesting a call back.
A day went by. Then two. No callbacks. And a funny thing happened: I started second guessing myself. Maybe I didn't press a button after leaving my voicemail. Maybe I mumbled my phone number and they couldn't return my call. And I wondered, "Should I call again and leave another message?"
On the third day, someone returned my call. He had a perfectly plausible reason for the delay, something about being out of town and away from cell coverage. We arranged an appointment. As for the other non-responders, well, I've moved on.
Therein lies a lesson. When I call you, I'm volunteering to take the bait, as we fisherpeople say. By answering your phone or quickly returning my message, chances are good you'll hook me. Your response—the attention you pay to me—rewards my behavior. Assuming I have a good experience with you, I'll repeat the behavior of calling you (and paying you) as we do more business.
But when you fail to respond, you lose me. Then, I'm nothing more than the one that got away.
Why do companies struggle with responding to requests for business—whether from prospective or current customers? Maybe you can think of all kinds of reasons. Here are three easily fixable ones that occur to me:
No one's responsible. Who's in charge of answering the phone, responding to messages or inquiries via your website or social media? If the answer is "I don't know," make someone responsible today.
We're too busy. I understand; taking care of current customers is very important. But focusing on current customers at the expense of attracting new ones is also the kiss of death for your future business. Figure out a way to do both, fast. And respond rapidly if you get a call from a hand-raiser. That's your next job waiting to happen.
We're interested, but not that interested. This is a stumper. I'm always astonished to find companies out there with this attitude. I don't know how you stay in business. Call me naive, but at least call me to let me know I'm not important.
How many big fish are getting away from you because you're slow to respond to a request from a client or potential customer?
By Emily Shannon
If any of your Facebook friends are from Minnesota, you know we've had a very snowy April. I'll spare the details. But lucky for me, I was able to escape the tundra for a few minutes and attend a trade show in beautiful, sunny Las Vegas. When I say a few minutes, I truly mean it. The amount of activity packed into two days allowed very little time to soak up the sun. There were hundreds of exhibitors to visit, sessions and forums to attend, award ceremonies, dinners and happy hours.
You've been there. You know how chaotic trade shows can be.
One of my observations was around the many exhibitors doing it right, and the many doing it wrong. As an exhibitor, you have two days to get your message across to as many people as you can reach. That's not a lot of time. The opportunity to make an impact is short—yet has the potential to be powerful. So what's the secret?
Here's how you do it right.
1. Start early. Your first touchpoint with your customers or prospects should not be at the show. Reach out to your audience before the show and tell them you'll be there. Give them a reason to stop by your booth, and make sure to follow up with them after the trade show, whether they stopped by or not. Develop a communication plan to map out each interaction with your audiences leading up to the show, at the show and after the show.
2. Talk to people. And wear comfortable shoes! At the show in Vegas, I was astounded by the amount of people just sitting in their booth taking a backseat to potential sales activities. The days get long and there's a lot of standing involved, but you might only have one opportunity to get in front of a new prospect. Make sure when opportunity knocks, your booth and the staff therein are ready to answer the door. Staff your booth with your best people, and give them the tools to evangelize your brand.
3. Your materials are your brand. Not all attendees will take the time to listen to a representative. Some prefer to collect information and digest the message on their own. Make sure your marketing materials are current, concise and contain a strong call-to-action. If they don't, you may miss your chance to connect with a potential customer.
You don't need a huge budget to see results from your next trade show. Sure, having the biggest, splashiest booth in the convention hall gives you an advantage—but communication, engagement and consistency mean even more. Approach your next show strategically, and don't forget those comfy shoes.
*The meme in this post was found at www.tradeshowmemes.com. We just knew there had to be a site dedicated to this kind of stuff.
By Emily Shannon
Relevant creative—the kind that's fully capable of changing behavior—makes us giddy. It's the stuff that great campaigns are made of, the fuel that feeds social buzz and the reason so many marketers do what they do. To celebrate the best creative, RAZR Marketing team members will post our favorite creative examples to this blog under the title "Relevant Creative." Check back often to see the creative that inspires us.
Brands that deliver consistent messaging and a steady value proposition year-over-year deserve applause. With the release of this video, Dove may even be worthy of a standing ovation.
Dove introduced us to its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004. Since then, the marketing and public relations effort has garnered international attention and even landed its very own Wikipedia page—all in pursuit of helping women identify their natural beauty.
This video is strong because it's packed with emotion, it exposes real issues to which most female viewers can relate and it has an element of suspense and surprise. (I was hanging on, waiting to see the difference in portraits.)
At the end of the day, this video is still a marketing message designed to hit a target audience, but it's disguised as an experiment—a test to see how body image is internalized and communicated.
Watch the video, then let us know what you think about the latest from Dove. We think it's a creative and striking way for Dove to further extend its brand and share its message that natural beauty lies in everyone.
By Darren Nauss
I don't believe in work-life balance, it's impossible to achieve. When two things are in balance I think of them on opposite sides of a spectrum, balancing each other out, almost mutually exclusive. Too much weight on one side and the scale tips, causing a crash.
Can life and work be in perfect alignment—ever? I don't go to work and forget about my family, and I rarely go home and stop thinking about work, at least in some form or another. Life and work have to be in sync, one has to give when the other requires more.
I call this idea Harmonious Integration; both sides are never in balance but when you manage your commitments across the board (without the constraints of the traditional work day) then you achieve Harmonious Integration. If your son or daughter has a school play at 10 a.m., you ought to be there. And if your global client has a conference call at 11 p.m., you probably ought to be there, too.
The integration part is easy to understand, but the harmony piece becomes an ongoing pursuit.
By Leeanne Huber
At my first SXSW Interactive (SXSWi), there was buzz everywhere. From Al Gore to Grumpy Cat, 3-D printers to Google Glasses, start-ups to meet-ups, there was an overwhelming amount of things to see, hear and do during my five days in Austin. And of course the fantastic food, drink and 70 degree temps were distracting at times.
Many outlets have reported on the big trends and topics that emerged from the event. I wanted to share the excerpts from the SXSWi sessions I attended that are still resonating with me—things that continue to carry weight (and relevance) as I settle back into the office (and cold temps).
The remainder of 2013 is sure to hold the dawn of some new social media platform, a bizarre viral video craze and the latest must-have app. But finding the underlying themes, insights and ideas that actually tie back to your organization's marketing strategy––now those are real "a ha" moments. I found plenty of those in Austin.
By Jacqui Blakeley
Today at lunch, a colleague likened their terrifying nightmares to creating a PowerPoint. I laughed—partly because I witness this sentiment all too often and partly because I know PowerPoint doesn't have to be that bad.
In my previous posts, I've given you some presentation motivation as well as some things to consider before starting your next presentation. Now, I'd like to share three technical tips that can help you build better presentations.
1. Use the layouts and color palettes. Consistent use of a template and color set will provide global editing ability in PowerPoint. For example, you can change "that red color" to pink on the palette and it will change the color throughout your entire presentation. Develop your slide background and text positioning on the Slide Master, accessed through the View tab. (Just make sure to exit the master template before you add your content!) Set your color palette, fonts, and default effect treatments under the Design tab.
2. Set your resolution and photo editing preferences when you start your presentation. Do this with your output in mind—considering whether your presentation is for print or projection. PowerPoint offers three resolutions for different options:
You can also choose how PowerPoint handles your imported pictures. By default, PowerPoint will compress your images each time you save. While this is an important and necessary tool, you will be able to stop the progressive deterioration of your files (like your logo, for example) by controlling when and how much pictures are compressed. Explore your compression options and set your resolution at File > Options > Advanced.
3. Use the right images. Stop using copyrighted material from the web. Stop believing that a small web image will provide sufficient resolution at a larger size. And above all, stop importing huge image files that weigh down the file and your mail server. If you must use big images, learn how to compress those great images (see tip two above). Need a solid resource for free presentation images? Microsoft has a growing gallery of free images and photography that you can download and use in your presentations. You can access it here.
Before you let PowerPoint disturb a good night's sleep, consider taking these steps. You might find that they give you a better product and make your life easier.
By Emily Shannon
Pinterest was the emerging social media star of 2012. According to Shopify, the number of daily Pinterest users increased by 145% that year. And the socially connected mavens over at BlogHer found 47% of U.S. online consumers made a purchase based on recommendations from Pinterest.
With all the buzz, you might think every corporate marketing team in the country would be pouncing on this visual sharing site. Yet, there are many conspicuously absent brands on Pinterest.
Numerous brands have created accounts, only to do nothing with them—there are no boards, no pins, and no identity. Resources are scarce and budgets are limited, I get it. But with a few moments every day, you can create a Pinterest presence for your brand that has the potential to impact engagement in a positive way. Here are three things to consider when building your brand on Pinterest.
1) Don't over-promote your own products or offerings. Yes, post visuals that link back to your assets, but also share and re-pin visuals you find compelling—things that align with the essence of your brand.
USAA, while one of the country's largest financial institutions, has a Pinterest presence that pays homage to the military roots of the organization. Financial pins are just part of what they share. Using the hashtag #USAABestPlaces, the organization has created a recipe board where fans share favorite foods from cities across the U.S. That particular board has 704 followers. Not bad for a financial institution.
2) Foster culture. Culture is vital to business. If you want to emphasize the importance of your employees or add a human face to your brand, look no further than Pinterest. Need an example? Use Pinterest to share "staff favorites." Ask everyone in your office to share a favorite quote, recipe or photo, then pin away. This type of initiative helps give your Pinterest presence a human element that's hard to replicate—it also helps show who you are as a company.
Be The Match, an organization we've had the honor of working with, has a Pinterest board called "Staff Picks" where they share everything from cookie recipes to quotes. Don't be afraid to let your people shine; others will notice.
3) Let your passion show. Callaway makes golf clubs. On Pinterest, they're interesting to follow because they post the best in golf—golf-themed engagement photos from fans, golf memes, golf products, golf quotes, you get the idea. Callaway's boards are compelling because they show an unabashed love of the game. Why not use Pinterest to show the world what you're passionate about?
Here at RAZR, mountains make up a large part of our brand—we dig 'em. One of our own Pinterest boards is called "Mountains: They're kind of our thing." What do we pin? You guessed it, pictures of mountains. Turns out a lot of other people really like pictures of mountains, too. When other people like your stuff and re-pin, a beautiful thing happens: engagement.
I'm the first to admit that Pinterest makes the most sense for consumer brands—especially retailers. There's a logical connection that's easy to understand. But even brands that offer professional services or B2B solutions can use Pinterest to drive connections. It just takes strategy. After all, everyone—whether you're a VP at a Fortune 500 corporation or a fashion blogger—is a consumer.
Everyone is hungry for knowledge and information. In 2013, Pinterest is a part of that information exchange—wouldn't you rather be a participant than an observer?
*The hilarious photo used in this story is from @Douglaswray on Instagram.
Recently, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal announced the finalists in its annual "Best in Real Estate" Competition. RAZR Marketing ranked among this year's finalists, who represent the best of the best from 19 total real-estate categories.
A nine-member panel of real estate experts selected this year's finalists. Those experts will go on to select the winners in each category. Winners will be announced at the awards event on April 18, 2013 at the newly-opened Radisson Blu at Mall of America. All finalists and winners will be showcased in the April 19 edition of the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Make sure to pick up a copy to find out how RAZR performs.
Want to see more pictures of our new space? Check out photos of our newly renovated office on Facebook.
By Leeanne Huber
Most kids don't think too highly of their parents' jobs—after all, it's the place that takes us away from them. At best, they see going to the office as a necessary evil that puts food on the table and keeps the lights on.
Not so at our house. My daughter thinks the office is a great place—a place where family is welcome, and we laugh. A lot. It all started one President's Day…
My daughter's school was closed for President's Day. It was also closed the Tuesday after for Vex-the-Parent's Day (err…teacher in-service day). This wouldn't generally be a problem since my husband works at home, but he had to travel unexpectedly—leaving me childcare-free for two workdays.
Monday was a breeze. RAZR is extremely family-friendly, and our new office space has an official kid's room complete with cushy furniture, toys, gadgets and a big ol' TV. My daughter came in and enjoyed playing there with several other RAZR kids on Monday.
Tuesday was the challenge. I had an important offsite meeting all morning and every babysitter seemed to have jetted off to enjoy the four-day weekend. I mentioned my challenge a few times on Monday, and each co-worker made the same comment, "Why don't you just bring Ellie in here?"
"Um, because I won't actually be here," was my reply. The universal answer, "So?"
I asked Darren, our CEO, who agreed with the rest of the office without missing a beat. "Absolutely. Why not?"
So at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, my daughter settled into the RAZR kid's room with my iPad, a newly rented movie, sketchbooks, markers and some snacks. She's seven (as opposed to a toddler), but you could tell there was still a little hesitation. I reminded her who to ask if she needed help and skedaddled to my meeting.
Nearly 30 minutes later, the emails started. Quietly, I checked my iPhone under the table. "Where's Ellie?" was the subject line, and this was the photo…
And the game was on, with each email update and photo topping the last. By the time I arrived back at work, my daughter was almost disappointed that I had returned. She had such a fun and positive morning, she begged to stay through the afternoon. To know that she could have that kind of an experience, even when I wasn't there, was amazing.
My point isn't about how having a family-friendly workplace is attractive to employees (although I personally think it is 100% essential for snagging top talent). And I'm not even going to talk about work-life balance, and how grateful I was to have the support of my company and co-workers that Tuesday (although I was beyond grateful). My point is about work and family, and the messages we send to our children about work.
Work is challenging, but it can also be fun and even downright silly at times. What a positive and inspiring message for our kids.
Ellie can't wait for her next chance to come to work!
By Paul Kelzer
Today is travel day. Anyone who has had the pleasure of traveling with me knows I'm over-the-top organized about the whole airport experience. That being said, today started like a typical travel day, with the exception that I left a little early.
But typical didn't last long. As I was coming up to my usual parking garage, I saw the dreaded "lot full" sign illuminated. I knew I had extra time, but c 'mon— that's my parking lot! This meant I'd have to park at a different garage and wait for a train to the main terminal, which could easily add 20 minutes.
As I pulled into the uncharted garage, I proceeded up the ramp to level seven. I always park on level seven. Having flown quite a bit, I like to park on the same level (and ideally in the same terminal) every time I travel. As I rounded the ramp I was shocked to see a man with a flag wave me onto level three. Ugh. Level three? But I always park on level seven.
So I entered level three and to my surprise I was able to score a front-row spot by the escalator to the train. Rock star! And, it got better. While descending the escalator I heard the whistle of an approaching train. No waiting! Double rock star!
As I arrived at the main terminal, I knew the train would drop me off into the parking garage. On the ride over, I planned my next move—I'd go through the special commuter security checkpoint and be right by my gate. But as I walked up, the other train to the main concourse was just pulling up. It seemed like perfect timing. What the heck? I decided to go with it and jumped on the train heading to the main concourse.
Once I arrived, I checked the monitors and saw that my plane had a gate change. Amazingly enough, I was right where I needed to be. Security was quiet—only three people in line, and I was through the checkpoint with enough time for a shoeshine!
Lesson today? What feels like a departure from expected or normal might just be the path you're supposed to take. You just need to be open to it.
And thank goodness I have this blog post to remind me which level I parked on.
By Emily Shannon
President's Day 2013 brought all of the usual things: the banks were closed, the kids were out of school, and the mail didn't get delivered. However, something special happened at RAZR headquarters that none of us expected—a stark reminder of something so important—delivered by an eight-year-old girl.
When we built the new digs for our RAZR team we were very deliberate in designing a family-friendly environment: a place where people could bring their kids for a couple of hours, a half-day, a full-day—whatever was needed. Our new office contains a kid's room. The RAZR kid's room is outfitted with all kinds of cool stuff to entertain children of all ages. We've got a DVD player, a Wii, books, puzzles, a beanbag chair and a bunch of other neat stuff. When days like President's Day come around, we are ready!
This year on President's Day, we had four mini RAZRs running around the office entertaining themselves (as well as everyone here). Each of the kids took turns drawing on the glass walls of the offices with dry erase board markers. We had all kinds of animals, lakes and rivers, cars and a host of other really creative renderings on our walls. But there was one little saying, written at the top of the glass (not sure how it got up there). It said, "Belive in You'r self."
It really struck me that in the midst of all the fun and chaos that day, a little girl stopped and thought to write these meaningful words.
How often do you stop and say "Belive in You'r self?" Not often enough, I'm sure.
By Emily Shannon
This blog may be called Altitude, but we're certainly not above the latest viral video craze. As a special Friday surprise, we present to you our very own version of The Harlem Shake.
By Jacqui Blakeley
Before starting any presentation in PowerPoint, I always make sure I know about three things––the who, how and where.
These three factors are fundamental, but they are vital to help creatively shape your presentation to deliver your story and maximize engagement.
Who is the audience? Before jumping into any presentation, it's extremely important to understand the size of your audience, as well as demographics and any expectations they have. For example, if you're presenting to an auditorium full of seniors you should remember to use a high-contrast color palette and larger type. If you're doing a presentation to conservative corporate types who are expecting to see lots of content and data, remember to use more traditional typefaces, limit the fancy animation and make smart choices when it comes to white space. It sounds basic, but by assessing your audience first, you can make informed decisions about the creative direction your presentation should take.
How will the presentation be delivered? The way your audience will receive your presentation is a huge factor to consider when creating a new PowerPoint. If your presentation will be distributed by email for people to view at their desks, it makes sense for you to use smaller type and vivid colors. If your presentation is going to be used as a looping slideshow at a kiosk or trade show booth, then keep it visual with little text and avoid complexity. For printed presentations, use a white background if you care about resources and your readers. And furthermore, what if your presentation will be provided for a webinar broadcast? Avoid animations altogether; your presentation will likely be saved as a series of pictures for easy viewing.
What is the setting where the presentation will be delivered? If you're presenting in person, always make sure to consider the room size, brightness and seating configuration. If you're in a bright meeting room or darkened auditorium, make color and contrast choices accordingly. You should also assess the complexity of the information you are delivering. Ask yourself, "Is my presentation filled with complex, technical information, or is it more about big-picture concepts?" If the answer is complexity, frame those complex ideas with plenty of white space to avoid overwhelming your audience with data. Remember to mix in illustrations for concepts that are easily understood to give eyes a break.
The next time you're asked to assemble a PowerPoint presentation, stop to consider these three vital factors. They may help the presentation process go smoother than you imagined.
By Kristen Senden
On my way into work Monday morning, I drove through my favorite Caribou Coffee drive-thru for a little pick-me-up. I was tired, but at the Caribou window I am always greeted by such happy, outgoing employees. It's the kind of cheery comfort that makes Monday mornings a little more tolerable.
This particular morning, I was greeted with a smile, a "good morning" and a confirmation of my order. Then, the Caribou employee told me, "The individual in the car ahead of you has paid for your order, so it's all taken care of."
I was completely surprised and delighted. I looked ahead and the car was already pulling away, turning the corner, not even allowing me an opportunity to say thank you. Then, the kind soul at the window asked, "Would you like to make the same gesture for the car behind you?"
Of course I would. The feeling of surprise and delight had me so elated it had erased all my Monday morning stress. The woman gave out a little cheer and said, "Yes! That makes five in a row!"
I loved that she was helping facilitate goodwill to keep the movement alive. Hearing that something is "all taken care of" is a little gesture that has a big impact—I was glad even more people would get to experience that joy on a Monday morning.
My paid-for coffee was unexpected; in fact, it exceeded expectations and built a desire for more. In interactions with clients, sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest lasting impact—providing someone with three good ideas instead of two, sending them a hand-written birthday card, or simply giving them reassurance that it's all taken care of.
The next time you're looking to wow customers, think about how the words "it's all taken care of" might sound to them. It might just be as warming as a free coffee on a Monday morning.
By Emily Shannon
Change is tough. When we help companies create change––such as a change in brand or marketing strategy––we always make training and education a crucial part of that change.
Perhaps we should have followed our own advice on this one. Enjoy!
By Emily Shannon
Blackberry is launching its Blackberry 10 Smartphone, a phone rumored to give the Android and iPhone a run for their money and put Blackberry back on the map. Even more notable, however, is Blackberry's strategic move to name Alicia Keys as the brand's global creative director.
Naturally, my first thought was this girl is seriously on fire. But what about the brand? Is it seriously on fire, too?
Other brands have signed on celebrity creative directors throughout the years. Will.i.am is the director of creative innovation for Intel. Lady Gaga was tapped by Polaroid to be the creative director and help co-design a line of attractive new products in 2011. The move seems to be growing in popularity—yet companies that are considered to be "cool" rarely do it.
So what's the biggest benefit a celebrity creative director can bring to the table for a brand? In my opinion, it's buzz and press coverage. And while that might have a short-term payoff for a brand's reputation, I don't believe it has the power to change a consumer's long-term buying behavior.
Sustainable behavior change requires more than just a glossy name who supposedly has a "job" at your company. Sustainable change requires involvement from real consumers—not just celebrities. It also involves complex communication strategies, education and outreach, reinforcement and continual innovation.
I am waiting—on the edge of my office chair—to see how Blackberry performs with the launch of the 10. Sure, Alicia Keys has a powerhouse voice and seems to be a fairly smart cookie, but Blackberry better have more marketing tricks up its sleeve to compete in today's dizzying smartphone industry.
By Emily Shannon
Thanks to the popularity of social media, more and more marketers are focusing on content. But not just any content—the focus is on material that's engaging and shareable. This blog, for example, is an effort to develop content that captivates you (our audience). The very words I'm typing are an attempt to create something that you find interesting and possibly even share with your colleagues.
Right now, compelling content is winning in a major way. In the messy social world of tweets, status updates and conversation threads, it often takes remarkable content to cut through the clutter and inspire sharing.
So what makes content compelling? Let's take an example from our own RAZR Marketing Facebook page. When we post regular text-based status updates or a photo, those updates get an average of 75 views. A few weeks ago, we posted a video that received 361 views—a 480% increase from the regular status update. The video received dozens more "likes" than a traditional update and garnered quite a few comments.
It got people talking and sharing. It got behaviors to change. Sometimes compelling content involves startling statistics. Other times, it takes thought-provoking or controversial insights.
But sometimes, compelling content just requires a few backflips.
And for your viewing pleasure, here's the video:
Dan Johnson, our VP of Finance, celebrates four years with RAZR Marketing this month. To pay tribute to our favorite finance guy, we took a look at Dan's tenure here just as he would want us to: by the numbers.
On his four-year anniversary, Dan will have worked at RAZR Marketing 1,040 days. Given that Dan drinks three cups of coffee every morning, he has consumed roughly 3,120 cups of coffee during his time here. The average cup of brewed coffee contains approximately 135 milligrams of caffeine, so Dan has ingested 421,200 milligrams of caffeine during his time at RAZR. All this caffeine goes to good use since we estimate Dan spends nearly six hours every day staring at highly complex spreadsheets. And despite all that staring, three cups of coffee per day is all it takes to stay awake for 6,240 hours of spreadsheet analysis over a four-year period.
Raise your coffee mug for a toast to Dan! We're glad he's here to help us make sense of the numbers and keep our business moving forward. Congratulations on four years, Dan!
By Pete Saari
As much as I would like to be a foodie, I've never been recognized for my refined palate. My dining take-aways tend to be very experiential. In other words, I rarely leave restaurants thinking, "Wow, that was the best steak I've ever had." More often, I leave thinking it was too warm in there, too loud in there, the seats were too close or I wasn't totally digging how the waitress called me honey.
I was recently dining with a group of friends at what probably wasn't a 5-star restaurant but, by pricing standards, certainly a 4-star. They had separate food and wine menus—that's classy.
In the middle of our main course, the waiter stopped by our table to see how we were doing. He waited until he had our attention then asked, "Is everything okay?"
The wording struck me. That's because I thought okay was a pretty low standard to set for how our dining experience was going. Would he have been satisfied if I had replied, "Meh, it's okay?" Did he know that my standard for okay generally means no one spills anything on me and I don't get Salmonella? To me, that's okay. But this restaurant seemed like it should be doing better than okay. I wondered if in their pre-dinner huddle, the restaurant manager told his staff to get out there and be average? I could hear it play in my head, "Let's make sure everyone has an ordinary dining experience with us tonight."
The restaurant manager and owner probably wouldn't want their customers to be okay, but rather they'd want them to be thrilled. What if instead of asking "Is everything okay," the question was, "Is this the best freakin' dining experience you've ever had and if not, what can I do to make it that way?"
The line between an okay and an exceptional experience can be rather small. In my case, it was drawn from the use, or misuse, of one word.
What kind of an impression are you making on your customers? Is it just okay? Or is it representing the caliber of service and quality of product you provide? In today's competitive economy, okay just doesn't cut it. Businesses that are thriving offer an experience that surpasses that of average. Look at Nordstrom and Zappos, for example. In their approach to service, marketing and the way they run their business, they are providing customers with memorable, lasting experiences that aren't just okay, they're awesome.
Okay might get customers in your door once, but it certainly won't keep them coming back.
So as you look at your own business, ask yourself, "Is everything okay?"
If it is, it's probably time to change.
RAZR Marketing is pleased to unveil Altitude, our agency's foray into the blogosphere. Altitude is a mechanism for sharing our thoughts on branding, creativity, loyalty and all things marketing. From coverage of trends and hot topics to observations and lessons learned, we hope the blog helps you further connect with the entire RAZR Marketing team.
Each week you can expect fresh, relevant content from RAZR's team of marketers. We encourage you to share, comment on what you read or email us to learn more. Experience a new altitude here.
By Pete Saari
Everyone uses it, abuses it, needs it, damns it, suffers it and depends on it. It's PowerPoint, and it's one of the most economical, common communication tools available on your desktop.
You might not realize it, but instead of being the bane of your workday, PowerPoint has the potential to be the timesaving creative tool that sets you—and your presentations—apart.
As RAZR Marketing's in-house PowerPoint and presentation expert, I've seen my fair share of downright frightening presentations. Over the years, I've developed some advice for people struggling with PowerPoint.
For starters:
Using the RAZR blog as my soapbox, I'll be dishing out regular presentation advice to help you think differently about your next PowerPoint project. My advice will range from pointers about your audience to technical tips.
Check back often for solid advice to help you change your approach to PowerPoint. You could even learn to love it.
As we start 2013, we can't help but reflect on 2012—an exciting and memorable year for RAZR Marketing. Here are some favorite highlights from 2012.
January: We started our year right by launching a brand new website. More visuals, more interaction and just more fun.
February: RAZR kicked off a four-series educational breakfast panel with the Midwest Direct Marketing Association. Topics ranged from data intelligence to creative and production.
March: Darren and Paul ventured to the Prepaid Expo in Las Vegas to meet with partners and talk about prepaid marketing strategy.
April: We were honored with a Communitas leadership award for service in the community. In 2011, RAZR employees donated over 1,130 hours to various service organizations thanks to our company policy to grant each employee 40 hours each year (in addition to their standard vacation time) to use on philanthropic activities.
May: Our second year hosting Your Time to Shine, a fundraising luncheon, silent auction and fashion show for our pro bono partner SuperSibs!.
June: RAZR CEO Darren Nauss was honored as a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year program in the Upper Midwest.
July: We celebrated the 2012 summer Olympics by hosting our very own version at RAZR headquarters. The Olympic committee should seriously consider adding a scavenger hunt!
August: New space, new attitude. In August we moved into our new office, and we've never looked back (at those sad, gray cubicles).
September: We wore suspenders every day for Sibtember. This stylish effort helped raise over $30,000 for SuperSibs!.
October: Feeling nifty in the top fifty, RAZR Marketing was honored as one of the fastest growing private companies on Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal's Fast 50 list.
November: We geeked out listening to renowned change expert and RAZR hero Jon Kotter talk about creating change. We're still feeling star struck.
December: Ending on a high note, we hosted our first ever open house—inviting clients and partners to tour our new space and mingle with the team.
Thanks for making 2012 a fantastic year!
By Emily Shannon
I opened my email on Monday morning to find a note from my health club. The subject line? "Why Haven't You Been to the Gym?" Those are heavy words for a Monday morning.
I casually skimmed the email on my smartphone, making a face at nearly every point the personal trainer who sent the email made. Yes, I realize it's been more than 30 days since my last trip to the club. Of course a personal training session might help me get back on track. No, I will not call you if I have questions because this is embarrassing.
The following weekend, presented with two hours of free time I made an astonishing choice: I packed my bag, threw my tennis shoes on and went to the gym. I've been back since, and I might even sign up for a zumba class.
I'm not telling you this to highlight my lack of enthusiasm for all things exercise. I'm telling you this because I'm impressed with my health club's communication strategy. It worked—it was successful in changing my behavior.
Health clubs often face an uphill battle when it comes to changing consumer behavior. They frequently work with individuals who are undergoing change—these people want to get healthier, lose weight or train for an athletic feat—and when you're dealing with changing behavior, communication is key to success. Touchpoints have to occur at the right time, contain the right messages and be portrayed in the right media to be effective at getting consumers to do something different.
My health club sends me direct mailers and magazines on a seemingly monthly basis, but those can easily be discarded and ignored. An email from a real person that populated my mobile device as I was taking one more swig of my morning mocha was a different story.
It was the right communication at just the right time.
If you're asking your customers to change their buying behavior or participate in a new program or offer and you aren't seeing the success you anticipated, think about the communication strategy you have in place. The frequency, messaging and media may have a profound impact on your success. At RAZR, we coach our clients on communicating at 10 times the typical frequency during times of change. It seems like a lot, but if you're looking to convert a lazy couch potato into a yoga enthusiast, you have to hit the nerve.
On Monday, December 17, the RAZR Marketing team ventured to KARE 11 studios for the 4:00 p.m. broadcast to drop off the Toys for Tots we collected. Half the team (the half that lost our intense toy challenge) was clad in Green Bay Packers gear. The other half was dressed relatively normal, accentuating their winter apparel with big, cheerful smiles. That's because when all was said and done, our team, clients and partners helped raise 250 Toys for Tots this year. Thank you for getting involved in our effort to ensure every child gets a little something special this season. It's this generosity that keeps this magical time of year alive!
RAZR Marketing is once again collecting Toys for Tots to help children in need this holiday season. On Monday, December 17, RAZR Marketing will drop the toys off at KARE 11 during a live news broadcast at 4:00 p.m.
To make the collection process more interesting this year, the office divided into two teams in hopes of gathering even more toys. The amount of toys each team contributes will be tracked, and the team that collects the most toys will decide what the losing team wears on the news broadcast. With stakes this high, RAZR expects to collect lots of toys, and hopefully some laughs.
If you're interested in contributing to our Toys for Tots effort, let us know by reaching out to your favorite RAZR employee or calling our office. And don't forget to watch for us—and the losing outfits—on the KARE 11 4:00 p.m. news broadcast on December 17.
It was a flurry of anniversaries for RAZR Marketing in November 2012.
Terry Zimmer, Christina Brant and Stephanie Balgaard recently celebrated three-years with RAZR Marketing. Lisa Kummer and Marcus Johnson just crossed the four-year milestone, elevating them from "yeah, they've been here a while," to seasoned veterans of the agency.
Join us in congratulating Terry, Christina, Stephanie, Marcus and Lisa on their years of passionate service and impeccable delivery. We're proud to have each of you as long-standing members of the RAZR family!
RAZR recently added Pete Saari to the team to serve as vice president of sales. In this role, Pete will lead RAZR's sales team, helping the organization build new client relationships and drive growth.
Pete's background is in management and business ownership. He's worked in large corporate environments as well as startups, early stage ventures and turnarounds across multiple industries. He has specific expertise in marketing services, digital media, healthcare and facility management.
His track record of consistently driving positive sales results makes Pete a terrific addition to the RAZR team.
When he's not out storming castles, you'll find Pete traveling the world with his family, coaching basketball, mentoring in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and being the source of belly laughs for his friends. Please join us in welcoming Pete to the team.
RAZR welcomes Sarah Cole to the team! Sarah brings a great deal of enthusiasm and gusto to her role as a senior account director/sales for RAZR Marketing.
Sarah comes to RAZR Marketing from Solus Industries where she was instrumental in developing partnerships with Fortune 1000 clients. Her knowledge of building alliances, maximizing revenue and effectively managing her clients' portfolios will help her excel in her new role at RAZR. Here, Sarah will build vital relationships and marketing initiatives to help RAZR clients see results.
When Sarah isn't keeping customers happy, you can find this adrenaline junkie outside hiking, playing volleyball, wakeboarding, snowboarding or sitting rink-side watching her son play hockey.
Please join us in welcoming Sarah to the team!
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce it has been honored as one of theMinneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's Fast 50—the 50 fastest growing private companies in the Twin Cities. The entire Fast 50 list, which was released on October 19, 2012, includes technology companies, marketing agencies, professional services firms and companies from a variety of industries. RAZR Marketing—a full service agency creating strategic change—ranked 49th on the list, with a 55.83% growth rate over the past three years.
"We are thrilled to be named to the Fast 50," said RAZR CEO and President Darren Nauss. "When you look at the economy over the past several years, it is an incredible accomplishment to achieve consistent, year-over-year growth. This honor speaks volumes about the strength of our business practices, client relationships and the careful attention we've given to nurturing the agency's strong culture."
See the Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal's complete Fast 50 feature here.
Members of the RAZR Marketing team are participating in SIBTEMBER to support the siblings of children with cancer. The fundraiser works like this: supporters wear suspenders throughout the month of September to start a conversation about SuperSibs!, an organization that supports children whose brothers and sisters have cancer. The suspender-donning efforts of participants will help raise awareness and funds for the Chicago-based organization to help them continue to serve nearly 30,000 siblings.
Terry and Darren sport suspenders during the first week of SIBTEMBER at RAZR Marketing. The suspenders create a verry dapper vibe in the office.
Learn more about SIBTEMBER and become a part of the movement by visiting sibtember.org. See RAZR's SIBTEMBER team in action here.
RAZR Marketing was recently honored with a Communitas Award for donating over 1,130 hours of community service to various organizations in 2011. The award highlighted RAZR Marketing's company policy to grant each employee one week of paid vacation (40 hours in addition to their standard vacation time) each year to use on philanthropic activities.
We are delighted to announce that RAZR CEO and President, Darren Nauss, was named a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 program in the Upper Midwest. According to the statement issued by Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
The RAZR team already knew Darren was a great leader, but this award confirms that he is among the best in the Midwest. His dedication to making RAZR Marketing a great place to work is evident in everything he does.
The entire RAZR team congratulates Darren for this amazing achievement that speaks volumes about the organization he has built and the clients we serve every day.
Want more information? Read the entire press release here.
RAZR Marketing is partnering with SuperSibs! to host the second Your Time to Shine luncheon in Minneapolis on May 12, 2012 at the Minneapolis Hilton. Your Time To Shine is a luncheon to honor and recognize the mothers of children who battle pediatric cancer. This luncheon will serve as a few hours of respite and pampering for them and a chance for community members and guests to learn more about their journey, as well as the SuperSibs! organization.
Michele Tafoya, NBC sportscaster, will emcee the luncheon. The event will include a silent auction, guest speaker, fashion show, raffle, live auction and more. All benefits will support SuperSibs!, a non-profit organization that supports the brothers and sisters of children who have cancer.
Those interested in learning more about this event or attending are encouraged to visit this page to learn more.
2011 was a year of exciting change, jovial celebrations and lots of hard work at RAZR Marketing. We produced marketing projects that garnered international recognition and our team donated over 2,000 hours to the community. Looking back, here are some of our favorite RAZR memories.
Last March we once again attended the Prepaid Expo and saw a number of our clients and friends. We'll see you again this year in Las Vegas!
In May, we hosted a luncheon in Minneapolis to benefit SuperSibs!, an organization that supports the families of children who have pediatric cancer. With the community's help, we raised over $38,000.
Summertime marked our first RAZR boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka. RAZR employees took an afternoon to bond with their teammates (and brave strong winds and choppy waters).
In November, we-along with our amazing clients-won four MarCom awards. These awards celebrated strong creative strategy and execution. (Bravo!)
In December, we had a special appearance on KARE 11 News donating Toys for Tots and we sponsored two families for the holidays. We also partnered with SuperSibs! and Crocs to help get SuperSibs! over 500 pairs of shoes to send to siblings in 2012.
These highlights only represent a fraction of RAZR's fantastic year in 2011-a year that wouldn't have been possible without terrific clients and partners. As we look ahead, here's to an unforgettable 2012!
RAZR Marketing is pleased to announce four client campaigns were selected to receive recognition in the 2011 MarCom awards. RAZR's pro bono work for Chicago based non-profit SuperSibs! took home a platinum award in the pro bono category. RAZR's design and execution of a dimensional direct mail package for Experian took home a gold award for direct mail/dimensional. A direct mail brochure for a large financial institution received an honorable mention in the competition, as did a rebranding initiative for Security Life Insurance Company of America.
According to an official statement issued by the MarCom Awards, MarCom entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelancers. This year, MarCom had over 6,000 entries. Less than half of those entries received some type of recognition.
"We are proud and honored to have had the opportunity to partner with these outstanding organizations to produce award-winning creative," said RAZR Marketing CEO and President Darren Nauss. "We thank our clients for their partnership and collaboration on these exciting initiatives."
More information about the 2011 MarCom awards can be found by visiting www.marcomawards.com.
"Phil clearly brings a deep-rooted understanding of the healthcare industry, but he also thoroughly understands how to develop products and bring them to market effectively," said RAZR Marketing CEO Darren Nauss. "His skill-set is a great fit for RAZR, and I'm excited about the powerful solutions we will bring to market under Phil's leadership."
"RAZR has a great history in healthcare, working with organizations on various marketing, branding and product launch initiatives," Dell said. "I'm looking forward to expanding those relationships as well as building new partnerships, bringing innovative consumer engagement, wellness and loyalty solutions to the market."
"RAZR has a great history in healthcare, working with organizations on various marketing, branding and product launch initiatives," Dell said. "I'm looking forward to expanding those relationships as well as building new partnerships, bringing innovative consumer engagement, wellness and loyalty solutions to the market."
"RAZR has a great history in healthcare, working with organizations on various marketing, branding and product launch initiatives," Dell said. "I'm looking forward to expanding those relationships as well as building new partnerships, bringing innovative consumer engagement, wellness and loyalty solutions to the market."