Nashville American Marketing Association

Chat with Ann Howard

NAMA Co-Chair of Membership and an Account Executive for Signal Inc.

Ann Howard

Q: Hi, Ann. What do you do?

I’m in charge of Nashville business development for Signal, a creative communications agency.

Q: Tell us a happy marketing story. Maybe how you got into marketing?

Once upon a time, I was a college intern at a law firm. I was tasked with selling sponsorships for a trade organization and was instructed to do so by phone. It was quickly clear that busy attorneys do not want to talk to interns selling sponsorships, so I designed a creative appeal and sat by the FAX machine sending it to everyone in the membership list. I surpassed the goal by a multiple, made my boss look awesome, and was thereafter hooked.

Q: Can you tell us about your past jobs?

I’ve been a Marketing Manager, Corporate Communications Manager, Researcher and a Business Counselor.

Q:  We’d love to know your favorite movie/album/TV show?

• Movie — The Triplets of Belleville
• Album–Elvis Costello – My Aim is True
• TV show –Boardwalk Empire

Q: What’s one of your favorite activities?

I read to kids through Love Helps.  It is the best volunteer gig ever.

Q:  What would people be surprised to know about you?

I performed in a musical once…in the chorus.

Q: How can people find you?

ann@signalinc.com, (910)512-3101, http://www.signalinc.com

Here’s Courtenay Rogers

NAMA Co-Chair of Programming and Marketing Coordinator for Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC

Courtenay Rogers

Q: Courtenay, give us a sense of what you do.

I assist 32 attorneys in their marketing efforts to promote their practices, along with maintaining brand awareness and overall marketing strategy for the whole law firm.

Q: What’s a best lesson learned about marketing?

Marketing isn’t a science. Sometimes you have to just try something, track it and see if it works.

Q: Can you tell us about your past jobs?

Surface Warfare Officer, the US Navy and then Co-Owner, Primarily Rye

Q:  What’s your favorite movie/album/TV show?

• Movie–Top Gun
• Album–Will Hoge
• TV show–Grey’s Anatomy

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not marketing?

Cooking, networking, wine tasting (drinking)

Q:  What would people be surprised to know about you?

I don’t make my bed.

Q: What’s your contact info?

crogers@bonelaw.com, (615)742-6889, http://www.bonelaw.com

Vaidas Lukosius

Meet Vaidas Lukosius

VP for Research for NAMA and Associate Professor of Marketing at Tennessee State University.  Vaidas teaches marketing to undergraduate and graduate students at TSU.

Q: Would you tell us some marketing words to live by?

“Irrational consumer behavior is reality.  Marketers, not economists, realized that long time ago.”

Q: Can you tell us about your past jobs?

“I’ve done marketing research for the city of Helsinki; for Microsoft in Russia; and in the Baltic States, Russia and Scandinavia.”

Q:  What’s your favorite band?

“Royworld — an alternative rock band”

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not teaching and serving on NAMA’s board?

“Playing with my little girl”

Q:  What would people be surprised to know about you?

“I was a DJ.”

How can people find you?

vaidas@vaidas.net, (615)512-5106

Bob Duthie

Meet Bob Duthie

VP/Chair Database/Event Registration Management for NAMA and Founder for Duthie Learning.

Hi, Bob?  What do you do?

“I’m Founder, Chief Learning Officer and Business Development Director for an e-learning division, and Founder and developer of a publishing business for long distance boaters & RVers.”

Q: What are some lessons you’d like to share about marketing?

“Business-to-business marketing is all about networking and building relationships. Priority one is generating leads. As buyers turn to associates for referrals and the web for research, marketers need to focus on all possible referrals sources and use web tools effectively. Ads, brochures and cold calls no longer work.”

What are your past jobs/felonies/misdemeanors?

“I cruised our motor home 43,000 miles from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, then Maine to Florida and California.
I’ve also cruised America’s Great Loop, which is circumnavigation of eastern North America.”

“I’ve been an entrepreneur developing multimedia, e-learning and marketing presentations.  Worked as VP Business Development for Northern Telecom (now extinct) and Director of R&D for GTE Automatic Electric (Canada) Ltd (also now extinct).”

What’s your favorite movie and TV show?

“Dr. Zhivago and the Office”

What’s your favorite activity?

“Traveling on the ground and water, not in the air”

What would people be surprised to know about you?

“I played the Angel Gabriel in our church pagent at age 10.”

Thanks.  How can people contact you?

bob@duthielearning.com, (615)298-7381

Michele Niec — President/Creative Director, Communication Elements, NAMA Healthcare SIG Chair

I had a client in Tampa who sold unique items for newborns.  The company was having a tough time competing with the big box retailer, but instead of spending marketing dollars on standard advertising, we took to the streets and built a partnership with a local auto dealer.

We would trick-out their family-style SUV with products like a car seat, stroller, sippy cups, diaper bag, etc.  My client provided nearly $3,000 in product to be displayed in the SUV, which was called the “NEW FAMILY ON THE GO” package.  The dealer added the price of the products to the price of  the car so if the new car owner wanted, everything could be financed together.  Because of a low marketing budget, we promoted the package with a field-marketing approach of posters and flyers directly to OB/GYN offices combined with e-mail marketing to the auto dealer’s database.

We also hosted parents-to-be open houses and educational classes at the auto dealer (they had a beautiful conference room) such as diaper changing and daddy boot camp.  In the end, my client found this to be very successful–resulting in a 38% sales increase against prior year and a 287% increase in email captures for their e-marketing database.

I suppose the moral of my story is sometimes you have to think outside of the pen and paper;  always step outside of the situation and look for partnerships that might seem odd at first, but can actually make perfect sense to the end user.  In this case, my client’s clients would need a new car because of their new addition.  While my client didn’t sell cars, we were able to build a partnership that not only increased product sales for my client, but approved the overall family image of our auto dealer partner.

DIY or DIE!
By Peter Cronin

If you want something done right, do it yourself. That oft-repeated advice from my dear departed mother is truer than ever in today’s niche-driven marketplace. At Cronin Creative, we’re fortunate to be a part of The 1861 Project, a multi-artist CD of new, original songs about the real people who lived through the American Civil War. Half of the songs on the CD were co-written by me, Peter Cronin, along with my longtime collaborator Thomm Jutz, who produced the Project. Executive producer Paul Schatzkin completes the trio of “owners” of this CD endeavor.

From the moment the idea for the Project was dreamed up, it was clear that, from history buffs to serious Civil War re-enactors, from fans of bluegrass and Americana music to college professors and authors, we were onto a particularly focused and passionate – and potentially huge – niche audience. It didn’t take long to figure out that this Project was not at all suited to the current cookie-cutter marketing approach of the traditional record label. So…what to do?

Do it yourself, that’s what! Working without the help (or hindrance) of a record company, we quickly grew into our respective marketing roles. With my background as a music journalist, I was pressed into service as the publicist. Paul’s online expertise helped us establish a formidable, interactive website/Facebook/Twitter presence months before the CD release, previewing songs and documenting the progress of the The 1861 Project as we went along. In addition, we offered free pre-release downloads of album tracks from our website, including selections from “marquee” artists like Marty Stuart. While the notion of “giving things away” may seem contrary to generating income, these “giveaways” proved invaluable in building buzz and fan engagement.

Paul’s photography hobby also came to the fore as he captured stunning images of the “soldiers” we met promoting our CD at re-enactments. We made these shots available to our growing fan base online. The photos generated considerable interest and excitement about the Project., and opened up exciting new ways to “bundle” and market the CD. And through Thomm’s obsession with American history in general and the Civil War in particular, we were able to get the CD into the hands of some of the leading authors and educators across the country, who are also helping to spread the word. Of course, when it came time to design the CD packaging and marketing materials, we turned to Cronin Creative’s Karen Cronin.

As we work away in our various niches, we’re all working for ourselves. As marketers of The 1861 Project, the benefits of doing it ourselves have been immeasurable. The out-of-the-gate success of the CD has been the icing on the cake. Our ace publicist (that’s me!) managed to stir up serious press coverage on the national, regional and local levels. Paul’s pre-release marketing efforts via social media generated considerable buzz and built sufficient fan interest that brick-and-mortar retail outlets like Ernest Tubb Record Shops, Grimey’s New & Used Music and the Country Music Hall of Fame all picked up the CD. And Thomm’s already transformed The 1861 Project into a great live show.

As innovative and useful as they can be, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the ever-increasing number of marketing channels available today. In marketing The 1861 Project, we found one way to get a grip on all of it – get in, get your hands a little dirty and be prepared to put on a new hat if need be. In other words, as my mom would say, the best way to get it done is to do it yourself.

* The 1861 Project is available at online retailers inlcuding 1861project.com, CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.com. The CD can also be heard on digital outlets including Pandora, Spotify and Rhapsody.