Diversity Scholars
Type of client:
National non-profit
Background and scope of work:
Diversity Scholars aims to fix an alarming trend in the U.S. – many disadvantaged high school students do not have the opportunities to attend a college or university program. And for lucky few who do, many are not matched to the post-secondary institution that best matches their interests and abilities, and thus these students do not have a full opportunity to pursue a successful career.
MMC worked with a passionate Diversity Scholars staff who needed marketing insight and guidance. MC was hired to first facilitate a strategy session with organizational leaders of Diversity Scholars, and then to lead the efforts to create the messaging that would best tell the story of the non-profit.
We then worked to develop the overall marketing and communications strategy for the firm. MMC ensured the value proposition was clear and easy to understand, and also worked to showcase the importance of this issue (this is a client with a lot of statistical evidence….but which ones tell the best story?) and defined the target audiences. Importantly, MMC prioritized marketing tactics to best use the limited marketing dollars of the organization. MMC also got into the nuts and bolts of the project, and guided the storyline of the video, managed the website development process, created content for on-line communications, printed collateral and presentations, and provided input into the PR and social media strategies.
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Overture Center For The Arts
Type of client:
Local non-profit
Background and scope of work:
Overture Center for the Arts is the Madison-area’s premier performing arts center, with multiple theatres and stages, resident performing groups, and an outstanding selection of live entertainment brought to the city throughout the year. During a one-year period, the Center needed an interim marketing director to guide the marketing strategy until a full-time replacement could be hired. MMC was hired to fill this part-time consulting position.
MMC uncovered the main issues facing the Center – the need to more consistently welcome more crowds to its shows (both by attracting new theatre-goers and increasing the loyalty of existing visitors), and to ensure the community at large understands both the welcoming nature of the Center as well as the relationship between the Center and the different resident groups. MMC conducted extensive research to determine the messaging opportunities, and this information later fed into the rebrand of Overture. MMC also guided the direct communication, advertising, on-line and PR strategies for the Center.
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Liberty Creative Solutions
Type of client:
Small business
Background and scope of work:
LCS, or Liberty Creative Solutions, is a regional design and production firm that originally was a print and output company. However, its services and offerings grew over the years to include top notch design and creative services as well, yet customers and target clients were not getting that message.
MMC worked with LCS to develop the optimal messaging and positioning to better explain the full array of services the firm provides. The first step was to conduct research with existing clients, and better understand the benefits and opportunities through their eyes. Armed with this information, the next step was to develop a messaging platform, along with a marketing plan and strategy that would serve as the guide for the newly-hired LCS Marketing Director.
MMC worked with this new hire to prioritize the most appropriate marketing tactics, and worked hand-in-hand with the LCS marketer as the marketing components – such as text for brochures and website, press releases, and more - were developed. In the end, the new Marketing Director was “trained” and guided through her first months of work in her new role by MMC, so she was set to successfully lead the marketing initiatives for LCS.
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2008 Flood Recovery Program
Type of client:
Regional non-profit
Background and scope of work:
In the summer of 2008, floods and storms ravaged the southern part of Wisconsin and devastated the residences of many, many families. Federal grant money was awarded to an administrative organization, with a goal to distribute $6 million in funds to these homeowners within a year timeframe. And it wasn’t just a feel-good initiative; the people who needed these Federal funds were struggling to rebuild their lives after suffering from Mother Nature’s fury. It was critical for word to get out to these homeowners that money was available within a given window – it was a true “use it or lose it” situation.
MMC stepped in to develope and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy for the Flood Recovery initiative. Key components included developing on-point messaging, an internal communications plan, branding and logo design, website development, and social media strategy. The cornerstone in this effort was the PR and public service announcement execution, as there was no money in the budget for paid placement.
MMC’s strategy ultimately proved highly successful: well within the allotted year window for distribution of funds, the Flood Recovery assisted hundreds of homeowners and distributed the full amount of Federal aid available.
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JG Development Inc.
Type of client:
Mid-sized business
Background and scope of work:
JG Development is a growing residential specialty builder, with a commercial arm known as National Construction Inc., or NCI. JG recognized an opportunity to more clearly define the services the firm provides, in addition to better differentiating JG from the competition. JG also saw a need to more clearly define and document the business development process and ensure that the marketing and business development functional areas were working hand-in-hand.
MMC first conducted research among customers and partners to identify the opportunities and develop the optimal messaging platform, and then created the marketing and business development strategies for the company. MMC worked with both the JG and NCI divisions to prioritize the marketing tactics that would best reach the target audiences, including on-line and email channels, PR, partnership and event marketing, and print collateral.
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Speedpass
Type of client:
Corporate
Background and scope of work:
Speedpass is the RFID device used at speed and convenience retailers (including Exxon and Mobil gas stations) and is a game-changer in a commodity industry. It builds a customer database for the retailers, serves as a loyalty device, and has a “coolness” and “wow” factor that encourages customers to make a left-hand turn to buy an everyday product.
Laurel is the former Marketing Director of the Speedpass Network Venture, and oversaw the marketing plan and worked to integrate communications across all functional areas. After leaving Exxon Mobil Corporation and founding MMC, Laurel and MMC continued to provide direction for the on-line communication of the brand.
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Operation Smile
Type of client:
International non-profit
Background and scope of work:
Operation Smile is a non-profit organization devoted to improving the lives of children throughout the world by healing their smiles. Medical professionals volunteer their time to provide reconstructive surgery to children born with facial deformaties, such as cleft lips and palates. It has an important objective to raise money to pay for these surgical services, both from individual donors and larger gifts.
MMC worked to develop a variety of communications for the organization, such as participating in strategy sessions, developing brand and identity standards, developing the content structure for the website, and creating presentations for partner meetings.
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Puddleby Pony
Type of client:
National non-profit
Background and scope of work:
Puddleby Pony is quite a collection of live and non-living entities that required a simpler and more intuitive way to explain the premise – which is where MMC stepped in. Puddleby is the book that introduces to the world the pony Puddleby, a pony with innate talents that he discovers through the course of the novel with his friends: Smooch, a lovable pig and one of Puddleby’s friends; Cedric, the loyal goose companion who completes the trio; and Miss Thea, the human friend who is also a part of the adventures.
Puddleby is also a real-life, specially trained miniature pony who travels the country, visiting ill children and the elderly and bringing joy to their. Sales of Puddleby books and toys fund the 501(c)(3) organization known as Going Miles for Smiles.
MMC worked with the visionary behind Puddleby and Going Miles for Smiles to develop the overall marketing and communications strategy, and the firm oversaw the development of the brand and identity for the two brands, the websites, and the social media strategy and implementation. MMC also served as an editor for the book – a task not normally in the realm of the work the firm does but a fun and important communications component within the scope of the larger project!
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MITA
Type of client:
Regional non-profit
Background and scope of work:
MITA, the Madison International Trade Association, was an organization that did not have the awareness for which the Board of Directors was aiming. MITA promotes international trade and provides resources for its members not only in the Greater Madison, WI area, but also throughout the state and the Midwest region.
The Association was in need of a re-brand and a reposition in the industry, as the imagery and words used to depict the group did not do the organization justice. MMC was hired to oversee the process, and first fully defined the scope and budget of the project, and then conducted research to determine the ideal messaging and value proposition platform for MITA. MMC assisted in the hiring of the design and technical firms that worked to create the print and on-line communication elements. Finally, MMC worked with MITA’s Communications Director to develop the marketing plan and strategy, including the event, PR, and social media components.
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Weston Place Condominiums
Type of client:
Small business
Background and scope of work:
Weston Place Condominiums are high-end, luxurious residences located in a prime location in Madison, Wisconsin. Weston Places units were not selling at the projected rate, as the residences did not have marketing elements to speak to the target audiences and compel them to take a desired call to action.
MMC first did a competitive analysis and conducted research among residents and realtors to find the unique qualities and offerings of Weston Place, and to position it as unique and different in the marketplace. MMC uncovered green-living, comfort and convenience offerings that separate Weston Place from other condominiums in the area. MMC then worked with both the client and the partner design and website development firms to create the new logo and branding for the business, as well as the supporting collateral that the sales team would need to communicate to potential customers. As well, MMC obtained PR coverage of the condominium complex in a publication that reaches the target audience.
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Wisconsin Charter Schools Association
Type of client:
State-wide non-profit
Background and scope of work:
The WCSA, or Wisconsin Charter Schools Association, is the state-wide organization that works to educate audiences about charter schools, which are an option in public school education for all children across the state. The Association has a very lean staff, and has outsourced the marketing and communication elements to MMC.
MMC has worked with this group for several years, and first worked to develop the brand and message platform for the Association, to create the marketing strategy, and to oversee the development of all communication elements (including direct marketing, social media, and PR). Research and polling were important components to determine the public perception of the state of education and the understanding of public charter schools.
The educational landscape and political climate of the state has dramatically changed in recent months, and MMC has worked to re-define the messaging points for the Association and its members, and has worked to increase the importance of social media and PR as key elements of communications strategy.
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Cafe Porta Alba
Type of client:
Small business
Background and scope of work:
Café Porta Alba, or CPA, is a unique offering in the culinary world within Madison, Wisconsin. This restaurant is one of a small handful of authentic Neapolitan restaurants in the country, and offers certified Neapolitan-style wood fired pizza, along with an array of other fine Italian culinary delights such as pastas, appetizers, insalata, vino and birra, and dolci. The client has a very limited marketing budget, and is looking for the most cost efficient and effective ways to get word out about the restaurant and all its offerings.
MMC has worked with CPA to develop a simple yet powerful marketing strategy that focuses (1) on the story behind the restaurant and the owner, and (2) on the Italian culture that permeates the visitor’s experience. The strategy includes selectively picked communications components, including a story-telling website, a direct marketing component with a database of customers, event and partnership marketing, PR, and social media that engages others in conversation about Italian culture, food and more.
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