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Articles - August 2007

The Time is Now
By Nathan Johnson

It’s the end of the summer, and everyone is preparing to get back to work. A few lucky souls with vacation time left are out of the office this week or next, but they’ll return from vacation soon, ready to knuckle down and psych themselves up for everything that has to be accomplished before the end of the year. Unfortunately for many companies, it’s not just their employees that have been on vacation, it’s their advertising and public relations programs, too. more...

Getting to Know Your Friendly, Neighborhood Journalist
By Phillip Barnhard

Lois Lane and J. Jonah Jameson are two fictional characters in the newspaper industry represented in the comic lives of Superman and Spiderman, respectively, with the same thing in mind: getting the story to the masses. Though their tirades and theatrics might be a little embellished on the big screen or in the pages of DC and Marvel comic books, their mission is similar to what you can expect from a newspaper reporter, television producer or magazine editor. more...

The Ultimate Interview-Karaoke Challenge
By Nathan Rome

Perhaps you’ve noticed the latest reality TV craze, karaoke. Geared toward America’s middle-age viewing audience, shows like Don’t Forget the Lyrics and The Singing Bee have challenged America’s knowledge of new and classic song lyrics in an appealing and energetic fashion. The point of these shows is to have an audience member sing along with a live band to popular music. more...

Articles - July 2007

Being True To Your Brand
By Greg Hansen

As marketers we preach it all of the time. Be true to your brand. From your advertising to your public relations, from your website to your candy bowl, they must always reflect your brand.

Just recently we witnessed a perfect example of branding. more...

Can MickeyD’s Marketing Approach Translate to Tech?
By Shannon Sullivan

I recently saw a news story about McDonald’s, one of the world’s most recognized brands, and its new approach to marketing to a crucial audience – moms. Essentially, McDonald’s has recruited a select group of moms to serve as “quality correspondents” that help spread the message of the company’s efforts to provide children healthier food alternatives. more...

Hay in a Needle Stack
By Steve Plunkett

If you Google “advertising,” how come M/C/C isn’t #1? That sounds like a reasonable question, doesn’t it? We are a full-service advertising agency. And how about the phrase “public relations firm?” Shouldn’t we come up on the first page for that? We are a PR firm, after all. And we do have industry-leading expertise in search engine optimization. So why isn’t M/C/C #1 across the board for all advertising-related searches? Because that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s just not worth the effort. more...

Articles - June 2007

How Sweet It Is
By Nathan Johnson

In these “pages” of Technique, we’ve covered everything from needing market research and building an effective plan for conducting search engine optimization to following AP style in writing press releases and knowing how to get the most out of your media dollars. Those are all big, important topics, but a topic we’ve returned to again and again – and one that may be the biggest, most important topic of all – is brand. more...

Harry Potter and the Importance of Timing
By Ciri Haugh

As July approaches, I, along with millions of other fans, am eagerly anticipating the release of not only the fifth Harry Potter movie, but the launch of the seventh book, effectively drawing the literary series to a close. Although Harry Potter is not a story that appeals to everyone, it has gained a worldwide audience and resulted in billions of dollars in profits. The popularity of the series will be highlighted once again as fans around the world gather for the movie release and midnight book launch, each occurring within two weeks of the other. more...

So, how do you think like George Lucas?
By Sadie McCrary

Calendars. T-shirts. Bedding. Movie tickets. Cereal boxes. Big Gulp takeaway cups. Toys. DVDs. VHS. Soundtracks. I’ve lined the pockets of George Lucas and his partners for years buying Star Wars merchandise – and, looking back, therein lies the genius of Star Wars’ creator and those businesses willing to take a gamble on perhaps the greatest marketing phenomenon of all time. more...

Articles - May 2007

Seeing is Believing
By Karen Hansen

Recently, my husband and I decided it was time for a good, old-fashioned family road trip. We really wanted to have the children experience a vacation the way we did – a long drive on a two-lane highway with little voices chorusing  “are we there yet” from the back seat. So when Spring Break arrived, we piled in the car and hit the road for a 12-hour sightseeing drive to New Mexico. more...

Breaking News: Heel2Toe Becomes Global Force
Business used PR agency to increase coverage, opportunities
By Stephanie Berlin

Note: While the following scenario is entirely fictional, it does underline some important concepts for your public relations strategy.

Dallas, Texas – Heel2Toe, a local luxury sock manufacturer, has received 10 times the amount of coverage it previously received after hiring a PR agency to help it garner more opportunities, the company reported Monday. more...

Search This
By Steve Plunkett

Here’s an easy question: What do you do? Seriously. What does your company do?

Now, Google that. Yes, literally. Google your answer to my previous question. See if your company shows up in the first 10 results. If not, we need to talk. more...

Articles - April 2007

“Barack” vs. “Hillary”
By Todd Brashear

Even though it aired only once, during Super Bowl XVIII, the Apple commercial “1984” is widely regarded by advertising professionals as the best-ever television spot. Interestingly enough though, the new amateur mash-up version of it may influence the advertising industry even more than the original did. more...

Are You On the Right Mission?
By Nathan Johnson

I just started reading this book by Max Barry. It’s called Company, and it takes a look at the ills of corporate America as depicted in a fictional company, Zephyr Holdings. A couple of pages in, I came across something that struck me as both funny and sad – the fictitious company’s mission statement. It is as follows: more...

Spring Cleaning for Your Communications Plan
By Pam Watkins

The bluebonnets are blooming, the birds are singing and baseball is in full swing.  Things feel fresh and new.  Now is the time to make sure your marketing communications feel the same. more...

Articles - March 2007

Embrace New Media. Don’t Marry Them.
By Shannon Sullivan

It’s hard in this day and age to go more than a month without the introduction of a new consumer electronics gadget or cutting-edge technology that enables us to communicate faster, better, longer or across more media. more...

The Logo Police: Knowing the Laws of the Logo
By Hillary Boulden

Everyone’s got a logo these days. It almost seems like the law. And like most laws, the laws of the logo often get broken. By quickly reviewing some basic laws of design, production and marketing, you can determine whether your company’s logo should be locked up. more...

Make Your Own News. Literally.
By Sadie McCrary

It is one of the more effective tools you can use to communicate with a specific target audience. It provides an unfiltered medium with which to disseminate your key messages and ultimately build and maintain relationships. more...

Articles - February 2007

It’s Time for Your Check-up
By Jim Terry

It’s tough to admit but the older I get, the more importance I place on making sure I’m getting my yearly check-up.  You know, the kind that you hope gives you a clean bill of health until the next time around.  more...

What’s Going on Down There in Marketing?
By Mary Miller

If you saw the Super Bowl earlier this month, perhaps you caught the Go Daddy commercial. The business is plugging away – everyone in cubes in the typical office environment, and the commercial’s focal character, dressed in a conservative business suit, extols the virtues of what Go Daddy can do for you as he takes the viewer on a tour of the office. more...

$2 Million — What a Bargain
By Greg Hansen

Over the past few weeks we were treated to the lamest bunch of Super Bowl ads in history and a guerilla marketing stunt that backfired. Or did it? more...

Articles - January 2007

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
By Mike Crawford

As I look forward into 2007, I see a plethora of new media outlets. More than ever before. On top of all the new ones from last year.

Does this mean traditional media are withering away into nothingness?

Hardly. more...

Generation Y You Should Care
By Ciri Haugh

Generation Y is entering the workforce, ready to make a mark on the corporate world, though many worry about how their casual manner will affect businesses. more...

Can “You” Damage Your Company’s Reputation?
By Steve Plunkett

While it’s true that a large portion of the population still gets the bulk of its news from traditional media outlets like the television news and newspapers, there are other members of the population that have expanded the scope of where they get their news. They were the “You” of TIME Magazine’s famed “Person of the Year” for 2006. more...

Articles - December 2006

Merry Holidays
By Nathan Rome

We've all heard it by now. Wal-Mart has returned to acknowledging its patrons with a hearty "Merry Christmas." Wal-Mart will be joined in this effort by merchants such as Macy's, Kohl's and Walgreens. While this seems to be the trend, many stores, including electronic media giant Best Buy, will continue to wish their customers "Happy Holidays." more...

Are Reckless Blogs Eroding Our Concept of Credibility?
By Nathan Johnson

Bloggers are sued all the time, but it was only a matter of time before it happened to a high-profile blogger. I'm talking about Perez Hilton, a popular blogger who features celebrity gossip and photographs on his site. In this case, Hilton is being sued for allegedly not obtaining photo rights for some of the photos he displays on his blog. more...

Articles - November 2006

Branding Fat
By Kim LaFleur

When it comes to food and nutrition, fat has a long history of being labeled as the primary nutritional evil in the American diet. Back in 2002, fast food purveyor McDonald’s recognized this and tried to improve its image by announcing that it would begin cooking its famous french fries in a new oil that would reduce the trans fat content by half. more...

Why Blog?
By Steve Plunkett

A business blog is a valuable, multi-function tool for communicating with customers and employees. Blogs are the newsletters that never go away. They are a great way to post the latest information on the Web about your newest product or service. more...

Baby Steps
By Shannon Sullivan

Having a baby can be one of the most special and unique experiences of a lifetime. If you are one of those women that choose to work during the 40-weeks of pregnancy that precede the baby’s actual arrival, it also can be one of the most stressful, turbulent and exhausting as well. I should know since I am at week 37. more...

Articles - October 2006

Pleasing Everyone
By Nathan Johnson

Is it possible to please everyone with your advertising? Probably not, but there is a way to be smart about pleasing existing and prospective customers with your advertising strategy. more...

To improve their image, politicians turn to liquor, prostitutes.
Satire by Todd Brashear

After a long string of charges including corruption, racial slurs, bribery, influence peddling, drunk driving, a shooting, election fraud, overall incompetence and inappropriate advances toward minors, members of the Democratic and Republican parties today announced a new campaign to improve their public image. more...

Let’s Make a Deal
By Amanda Myers

One of the most popular television game shows of the 1960s and ‘70s, Let's Make A Deal, was the show where contestants would buy, sell or trade anything and everything from hard-boiled eggs to Cadillacs. more...

Articles - September 2006

Thanks
By Mike Crawford

Wow! It seems like yesterday that I started M/C/C at the kitchen table. I feel very fortunate to be a part of a successful agency that today celebrates its 20-year anniversary. more...

Google This
By Steve Plunkett

In June of this year Google was added to the Oxford English Dictionary as a verb, then to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July. Here is the definition:

“to search for information on the Internet, esp. using the Google search engine” more...

With a Little Help from Your Friends
By Mike Crawford

Attention, marketing professionals. There’s one enormous thing they didn’t teach you in college. In fact, I’d bet it’s completely non-existent in every single marketing textbook. It’s a pity, too. At least as critical as focus groups, distribution channels and product lifecycles, this one thing can make the difference between your success and your failure. more...

Articles - Augst 2006

Which Kind of Undead Press Release Would You Rather Have?
By Nathan Johnson

In the world of the undead, vampires are a lot better looking than zombies. I mean, vampires stay forever young. Zombies just keep rotting and getting grosser as time goes by. more...

And the Award for the Worst Marketing Ever Goes to…
By Todd Brashear

…the green industry. The Earth-friendly products. The environmental movement. All those companies and organizations that restrict their marketing appeal to an extremely small sect of activists, hippies and tree-huggers. more...

PR: Why the Hell Not?
By Stephanie Berlin

When it comes to getting a company’s name out there, many businesses invest big money in advertising to achieve this goal while short-changing or outright ignoring their PR efforts. What many companies don’t realize is that even the smallest PR tactics can garner huge results. Just look at the 2006 Texas gubernatorial race. more...

Articles - July 2006

Brand: It’s About Words AND Actions
By Stacy Clark

From the time I moved to Dallas in 1998 I have been a dedicated customer of a small, expanding Texas restaurant chain that serves a great cheesesteak and scrumptious queso. more...

MySpace. Should It Be Your Space?
By Steve Plunkett

If you haven’t heard about MySpace, you probably haven’t seen the news lately. Some reports would have us believe that the social networking site is a haven for child molesters and pornography. In truth, it’s just like a lot of websites – there are good and bad aspects to it. There’s certainly no denying its popularity, and that has a lot of companies asking if MySpace will benefit them. more...

Your Image Means Business
By Kim LaFleur

When it comes to celebrities, the public is hungry for gossip, and the media makes sure to fill that demand. Juicy scandals may sell magazines and air-time, but they have the potential to derail careers and companies, making image management a key public relations tool to ensure an organization’s marketability and overall success. more...

Articles - June 2006

Superman + Gay Men = A Lesson in Choosing Audiences
By Nathan Johnson

I read an LA Times article recently about how the new Superman movie could benefit from its appeal to a previously unexpected audience - gay men. By way of explanation, the article raised issues of Superman's appeal as a good-looking man in a tight-fitting suit who, like other super heroes, has to hide his true identity from the public at large and even from those to whom he is close. more...

Deal or No Deal
By Karen Hansen

Shopping is the most fun and satisfying when you buy something really expensive or you get a really great deal. Or when you get a great deal on something really expensive. That's why it's commonly referred to as retail "therapy." It can make you feel awesome. more...

For the Media There is a Cure for the Summertime Blues: Public Relations
By Sadie McCrary

Summertime, the livin's easy. These are more than just song lyrics to a great many Americans. The kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful and it's time to go on that vacation you've been saving for all year. However, for those of us in public relations, summertime does not come with the promise of vacation; summertime brings a multitude of opportunities to get our clients in front of the news media. more...

Articles - May 2006

Stealth Mode is the Quickest Avenue to Bankruptcy.
By Mike Crawford

I read an article last week about a few technology companies that were operating secretly in what's known as "stealth mode" for their first two years of operation. They wanted to develop their product offerings before communicating externally. I've been working with technology companies for more than 20 years now, and I've seldom seen stealth mode work the way companies hope it will. It's certainly not an approach I'd recommend. more...

Upsetting the Apple Cart?
By Todd Brashear

As part of its clever, new campaign for Mac computers, Apple is rolling the dice.

In the new campaign, author and actor John Hodgman (currently of The Daily Show) plays a conservatively attired, uptight PC. His counterpart, the Mac, is portrayed by the laid-back, casually dressed actor Justin Long. From a branding perspective, the campaign is outstanding. more...

Throw Out the Trash.
By Pam Watkins

I looked up the definition of "advertise" recently. The definition read: to make public announcement of, especially to proclaim the qualities or advantages of (a product or business) so as to increase sales. That is exactly what I thought it should say. more...

Articles - April 2006

Does Suri Cruise need better PR?
By Stephanie Berlin

We all remember that fateful day in May 2005 when Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s famous yellow couch, pumped his fists into the air and screamed, “I love this woman!” more...

Concept This.
By Todd Brashear

“The color proof looked good.”
“The chart will go in the collateral.”
“We’ll show you concepts Tuesday.”

Advertising, like most industries, has its own jargon. From time to time, you’ve probably heard this ad-speak. Of all the terms used by advertising people, “concept,” is probably the most abused, misused and misunderstood. more...

What is AP Style and Why Does it Matter?
By Nathan Johnson

In reviewing material that will be submitted to the media, there are a few simple things to remember. Aside from being clear, concise, accurate and readable, there’s one thing to do that automatically puts a company in the good graces of reporters – use AP style. more...

Articles - March 2006

Pay-per-click Advertising Can Cost More Than You Bargained For.
By Steve Plunkett

First, the good news. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising with major search engines can generate lots of traffic to your website. Now the bad news - choosing the wrong providers for your PPC advertising can get your website banned from major search engines. It sounds confusing at first, but let me clarify. more...

A Eulogy for the Usual, Boring Press Release.
By Stephanie Berlin

Oh standard, trite, old-school press release, we hardly knew you. You were so helpful when it came to garnering coverage. Remember that time a business sent out a press release and the reporter called that same afternoon? The story ended up on the front page. more...

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic - and Television?
By Todd Brashear

Recently, the Associated Press reported on a study that appeared in the March issue of "Pediatrics," the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study showed that seventh and eighth graders remembered television advertising more readily than television news. more...

Articles - February 2006

The Client's Role in the Agency Relationship
By Shannon Sullivan

As with some romantic relationships, an agency-client relationship can be very one-sided — one party always the pursuer, the other the pursued; one the communicator, the other the listener. As any good Dr. Phil book will tell you, that is not the recipe for a successful relationship, particularly one whose cornerstone should be communication. more...

Stay Cool in a Crisis
By Sadie McCrary

It is a typical Monday morning. You park your car in the garage and walk toward your building. As you approach the entrance you notice a group of 20 or 30 angry people, carrying signs. Suddenly, your cell phone rings. It's a local news station asking for an interview. You've got a crisis on your hands. more...

Podcast This
By Todd Brashear

Last month in the Technique article "The Death of the News. The Birth of the Podcast," one of my colleagues wrote about all the great reasons to develop your own podcast. Hopefully, after reading that, you decided that podcasting is more than worth your time. more...

Articles - January 2006

Your Brand: A Platform to Build On
By Jim Terry

Brand building is not easy, particularly in today’s environment where resources are spread thin and competitive pressures abound. The more competition there is, the more important it is to be disciplined in your branding process and in crafting your communications messages and programs. more...

The Death of the News. The Birth of the Podcast.
By Stephanie Berlin

One of the first things any journalism student at a university will learn is that the traditional news media – newspapers, broadcast and magazines – are dying. Why? Specialization. Satellite radio provides specialized shows, music and news. Cable television and digital video recorders have provided audiences with more channel selections and the ability to easily record and watch shows. more...

Thank You
By Mike Crawford

It seems like it was just a few short years ago when I founded M/C/C. Well, can you believe we are entering our 20th year? I want to personally thank all of our clients from over the years that selected M/C/C as the agency they wanted to help make them successful and famous. It has been, and will continue to be, a wonderful ride. more...