Envoy Newsbreak

The Fremont Area Chamber has named one of Envoy’s own as the June Diplomat of the Month.

Envoy Partner and Senior Vice President Penny Hatchell has been active in the Fremont Area Chamber since 2004, and a Diplomat since 2006.

Currently, Penny is a Diplomat Team Captain. She and fellow Diplomats act as the public relations and member development arm of the Chamber. Some of their responsibilities include: being official greeters at chamber events; assisting with ribbon cuttings, groundbreaking and grand opening events and providing manpower at special events.

With Envoy since 1991, Penny has more than 25 year’s experience in direct marketing, printing and advertising. She has worked with some of the largest direct marketers in the nation.

An active member in her community, Penny is a 20-year member of the Omaha Federation of Advertising and sits on its executive board, as well as the Ronald McDonald House Charities board. Penny has also served on the American Marketing Association, Mid America Direct Marketing Association and Westside/Westgate Athletic Association boards. At present, she volunteers for the Westside Rugby Club.

In order to really become Omaha’s Ultimate Automotive Campus, Markel had to first make sure all of its customers heard one, cohesive message: Markel is Omaha’s only certified dealer for new BMW, Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles; they have recently become the nation’s newest MINI Cooper dealership; and purchasing a car from Markel instantly makes you a member of the family.

The gap in the message was Markel’s old website. Before Envoy stepped in, Markel had three separate sites. Visitors had no place to go to learn more about Markel or its cars and services. Nothing tied Markel to its several brands.

Envoy was able to help Markel design and launch a brand new website.

Now visitors to the site are immediately aware of all Markel has to offer. They can browse the complete Markel inventory, read about upcoming events, register to receive Markel’s eNewsletter, take advantage of special promotions and even apply for financing. In the initial month after its launch, the new site received an average 500 hits a day!

Markel has a growing eNewsletter audience and plans to develop an online atmosphere for their customers that offers the same high-class quality their vehicles provide.

Behavioral Target Marketing

B2B media are an important resource for company executives, who on average, read 4.2 B2B magazines and visit 7.4 B2B websites each month, according to a 2006 Harris Interactive study.

To ensure its clients obtain qualified sales leads for their target audiences, Envoy recommends the most advanced behavioral targeting technology available. At Envoy, we recognize that a person’s “business” comprises only a portion of the individual. Monday through Friday from eight to five, the target audience may define themselves as the “career watcher,” “business decision maker,” “news follower” or “technology maven.” But beyond the business, that same segment of the target audience is also a “chef,” “music enthusiast,” “die-hard sports fan,” “family planner,” an “active gamer,” “auto enthusiast” or “entertainment buff.”

Envoy has the resources and “know-how” to better communicate with the individual. By teaming with a behavioral targeting network that coordinates with more than 4,000 websites, we have to potential to help our clients reach more than 122 million visitors each month—and do it more efficiently than traditional online advertising!

For example, ad placement on sites such as Marketwatch or the Wall Street Journal would cost anywhere from $30 - $50 cpm. Use of a behavioral targeting network allows advertisers to reach the same audience for just $2.50 – $7 cpm. In this case, capitalizing the advantages of technology save advertisers 86% - 92%! The intended individuals read the intended message.

For more information on how Envoy can help your business target the individual beyond the business, contact Brian Kaminski at 402.558.0637 or bkaminski@envoyinc.com.

Of minature proportions…

Markel of Omaha officially welcomed the newest dealership to its Ultimate Automotive Campus on Friday, May 11th. New member MINI of Omaha is the only MINI Cooper dealer in the area.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony jump-started the grand opening festivities. Vice President of MINI USA Jim McDowell was on site to do the honors, along with Tim Markel, President of Markel Automotive. Other distinguished guests included Jim Peterson and Clint Weis, representatives from two regional MINI clubs: Cooper Owners of Rural Nebraska (CORN) and Cooper Owners of Omaha and Lincoln (COOL), respectively.

Cooper owners, potential customers and Markel staff accounted for the near 230 guests in attendance. Everyone was given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new dealership, the staff and, of course – the cars!

As guests arrived, they began mixing and mingling, swapping MINI stories, admiring a 4-foot MINI ice sculpture and gnashing miniature hors d’oeuvres. After a brief greeting from General Manager Tony Caputo and the ribbon cutting, attendees of all ages were invited to try their luck at a MINI racetrack. The course was specially designed for mini MINIs, 1:12 scale remote-control models of a MINI Cooper Convertible. The top six lap times got to take home a mini MINI. Caputo also awarded the skilled racers a real MINI during the weekend of their choice! Two lucky recipients, a guy and gal, got to choose any item from the MINI of Omaha accessories shop.

At the end of the evening, it was clear that everyone left with an excitement for the newest driving experience in Omaha.

“I think MINI has tremendous opportunity here in Omaha. This is just the beginning. You’ll see, about a year from now we’ll be adding to the MINI family, and we’ll have a third journey. And, we have a lot of new things up our sleeves. So, about every year there’ll be something new at MINI.” –Jim McDowell, VP MINI USA

In April, Envoy received word that one of our clients, Hiland Dairy Foods Company of Springfield, Missouri, had won the 2007 Harlie F. Zimmerman Award for “marketing excellence and best communication of brand excellence” from Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc. The award is given to dairies that demonstrate clearly defined marketing objectives and strategies, measurable actions and execution of results. After receiving the award, Hiland thanked Envoy for pushing them into marketing excellence.

“Our goal is to be a leader in the dairy industry through innovative marketing and promotions,” said Gary Aggus, president, Hiland Dairy Foods Company. “The Zimmerman Award recognizes our efforts and influences our drive to create more unique and memorable marketing programs.”

The Harlie F. Zimmerman Award, named as a tribute to Quality Chekd’s inaugural managing director from 1949 through 1980, acknowledges “Best in Class” total marketing plan and results. Award entries are judged by an independent panel that critiques each dairy’s marketing plan, promotional materials and merchandising programs, and their ability to enhance brand awareness and generate positive results.

“Each year, the competition for the Zimmerman Award gets increasingly difficult to judge because of our members’ remarkable creativity and originality of the campaigns,” said Peter Horvath, managing director, Quality Chekd. “Hiland Dairy deserves this award because of its fresh approach to marketing its brand to consumers and executing the campaign to achieve outstanding results.”

To learn how Envoy can help push your organization into marketing excellence, contact Kathy Broniecki at kbroniecki@envoyinc.com.

Envoy was three for three at this year’s Pinnacle Awards hosted by the American Marketing Association.

Each year, AMA members are asked to submit their best work in any of the following categories: communications, direct response, interactive media, market research, multicultural campaign, new product launch, public relations, promotions or total marketing campaign.

Members of another AMA chapter then judge entries. Evaluation is based on a predetermined point system. The entry with the highest score within each category is awarded the Pinnacle. Awards of merit are given in platinum and gold, as well.

This year, Envoy submitted three award entries, one in each of the following categories: large business – total marketing campaign, large business – interactive media and nonprofit organization – public relations. Continue reading ‘Envoy wins big at Pinnacles!’

Envoy, Inc. recently announced the hiring of Katie Henriksen as copywriter and Zach Origitano as Web designer.

Prior to joining Envoy, Henriksen worked as a freelance writer and marketing communications consultant. She brings more than 12 years of experience, both as an independent consultant, and as a copywriter and account executive for agencies in Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa and Yuma, Arizona. Her work includes writing for clients in healthcare, government, technology and higher education. She is a graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/mass communications.

In his position at Envoy, Origitano will be responsible for Web interactive design and development for clients. Prior to joining the agency, Origitano worked for THT Designs and Genesis Systems, LLC. During this time, he held positions in graphic, catalog, Web and interactive design. Origitano is currently a member of AIGA and OFA. He is a graduate of Creighton University with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.

Do you currently distribute direct mail pieces to your customers multiple times throughout the year? Are your costs through the roof? If so, perhaps now is the time for you to consider e-newsletters. With Envoy’s help, your company can develop electronic customer communications that are cost effective, efficient and delivered in a timelier manner than traditional mail.

Max I. Walker, one of Envoy’s long-standing clients, knew that its loyal customers enjoyed receiving and redeeming coupons for their dry cleaning. However, Max’s traditional distribution method, direct mail, had limited tracking abilities, a low response rate and high costs.

To combat this challenge, Envoy recommended e-newsletters. The idea sounded good, but a crucial element was missing: a comprehensive data bank of customer’s e-mail addresses. To do so, Max I. Walker implemented in-store sign-up boxes and an online sign-up form to supplement an existing list of customer names.

The results of Max I. Walker’s first e-newsletter efforts were astounding. Of the 2,113 recipients, 48% opened the message, with nearly 51% of those customers redeeming their coupons. Direct mail typically delivers a 2% – 4% response rate, so this was a huge improvement to the company’s couponing method that included dramatic cuts in production and mailing costs.

Max I. Walker continues to experience success with both their e-newsletter and their updated website. For more information about Envoy’s electronic customer communications capabilities, contact Brian Kaminski at bkaminski@envoyinc.com.

Entering its 10^th year as the host of the Art & Soup fundraiser, the Visiting Nurse Association knew it was going to take a dose of creativity to spark media coverage and support for this worthwhile community event which raised over $100,000 in 2006 for the organization’s Shelter Nursing Program.

Art & Soup is a different kind of fundraising event. Here, local artists and area restaurants join forces to provide supporters with a fun and enjoyable event atmosphere. Attendees simply purchase a ticket for $40 and are able to sample 25 different soups, enjoy desserts and coffee and browse an abundance of artwork. In addition, at least 50 percent of the proceeds from any artwork sales benefits the VNA.

To build awareness and boost attendance, Envoy and the VNA worked closely to develop a comprehensive public relations program. Implemented over the course of eight weeks, the plan included multiple news releases, a unique media kit containing a decorated spoon, media relations, scheduling of special appearances on midday newscasts and morning radio talk shows.

As a result, the VNA and Envoy collaboratively secured over $27,000 worth of coverage in print and broadcast coverage prior to event. These joint efforts allowed funds that would have been spent on advertising to stay within the organization, further supporting the cause. Contact Barb Ivey at bivey@envoyinc.com to learn more about Envoy’s public relations services.

“It seems so long ago I can hardly remember,” says Envoy president, Kathy Broniecki when asked about her first day on the job. Twenty years ago this February, Kathy joined a team of advertising professionals as part of Dennis Malliard’s team.

With several years of agency experience under her belt, Kathy entered the agency as a media director. After a few months, the company merged to form HMJ & Associates and later changed ownership to become Envoy in 1991.

During her career with the company, Kathy held a variety of positions, including media director, director of client services and vice president of client services before eventually taking over as a partner and company president in 2003. She has worked with a vast variety of clients, won new business pitches, received major industry awards, completed the Leadership Omaha program and continues to serve as a board member for the Camp Fire USA Midlands Council.

“Of course I love it here. The atmosphere is so fun, our employees are outstanding people and we are so lucky to be viewed as an extension of our clients’ internal teams. We get the opportunity to operate under a partnership every day and that’s something not all agencies can claim,” said Kathy. “

In honor of Kathy’s 20th anniversary, the office celebrated with a surprise party including apple pies, signifying Kathy’s healthy everyday snack of a fresh apple.

When asked for an inspirational speech, Kathy said, “Just keep doing great work on a daily basis and in 20 years, you’ll be right where I am.”