Even if you don’t have kids in school, it’s hard to ignore that a new school year is beginning. Ads for school supplies are everywhere because kids typically have a list of 20 or more items their schools require them to have for the year.

Directions recently held a back-to-school event to help students in our local community who are in need of supplies, and to bring agency employees together for a little fun.

The event started with a school bus ride down memory lane. “Lunch ladies” with hairnets and white aprons served employees Sloppy Joes, tater tots, corn, mixed fruit and ice cream cups (with little wooden spoons) on sectioned lunch trays. Each “student” got a carton of milk — white or chocolate — with a bendy straw. The lunch-table chatter included lots of “when I was in school” stories and renditions of Adam Sandler’s “Lunchlady Land” song.

Employees were given a list of school supplies required by area schools and were encouraged to bring in 10 school supply items. In return, they received a chance to win a pair of tickets to a Green Bay Packers pre-season game.

The event brought in a collection of school supplies worth approximately $350, which the company donated to the Neenah Joint School District, to be divided among the area schools. The organization was pleasantly surprised by the donation.

As an agency, we like to exercise our creativity in everything we do and have fun while we work. Events like this have helped us bond with our co-workers, enjoy coming to work at Directions, and share our prosperity with others in the community.

Having worked at Directions for most of my career, I wonder, “do other companies encourage similar internal events?” We’d love to hear what kind of things your company does to encourage participation in community giving, and the ways you make work fun for your employees and co-workers.

Sarah, Public Relations Coordinator

• Long-term, sustainable relationships, whether personal or professional, are built on a foundation of trust. All parties must work in the best interests of one another to establish commitment. Ensuring early on that your values and business standards align will further support your efforts for strong alignment into the future. But don’t just make it a surface relationship—go deep within the organization or family to fully ensure that all parties involved on both sides are committed and aligned with the same values.
• Be respectful of one another. Whether choosing a spouse or establishing a business relationship, harassment, verbal abuse, undermining, malicious behavior, or any other disrespectful conduct should not be tolerated. Anyone who consistently exhibits disrespectful behavior is not someone you should be involved with.
• Managing finances properly can make or break a personal or professional relationship. In business, valuable services are typically exchanged for monetary compensation. Be sure you are clear as to the content of your original business plan and evaluate how closely you both meet the criteria necessary to allow you to succeed with your business objectives. All payment terms should be negotiated up front to ensure there is a clear understanding of expectations before moving forward, and alleviate potential harm on either side relative to monetary concerns. The cost of doing business with one another should never outweigh the benefits, and you are doing yourself and your business a disservice by pursuing a relationship that doesn’t offer a win-win for both.
• Value one another! One of the biggest concerns expressed in the break-up of either a marriage or a business relationship is one of the easiest to address simply by communicating with one another! Be fully engaged in both your personal and your professional relationships and you will find the rewards are well worth it.
• When you get married, your contractual agreement with your spouse is, well, undefined from a written aspect. While not all business exchanges involve a formal written contract, purchase orders are most often considered to be your binding contract—whether issuing or receiving a purchase order or contract, be sure that the terms of the negotiation do not place you in an unfavorable position. You may be better served to walk away if you are unable to successfully negotiate any compromises before your commitment begins.

Weigh all the facts, examine the potential consequences, and make sure you are closely aligned before committing to your relationships. Then, be committed! Do what you say you’re going to do, further enhancing the trust, respect and value you have established in both your personal and professional relationships.

Patti, Director of Sales & Marketing

FIRST, admit that you may have a problem by making yourself aware of potential time thieves.

Here are the top five traditional time wasters: telephone interruptions, drop-in visitors, meetings (both scheduled and non-scheduled), apparent crises, and a lack of objectives, priorities and deadlines. In addition to these, include the latest technical wizardry of cell phones, email and text messaging. A less obvious, but equally treacherous foe includes inadequate, inaccurate or delayed information, along with the inability to say “no.”

While most items noted are valuable tools for your efficiency, when not managed properly they can also work against you! Stay on top of how you use (or don’t use) these tools to your benefit and you’ll take a big step toward reducing wasted time.

SECOND, use planning to establish short- and long-term goals, and to accomplish those goals.

There are three major excuses for bypassing planning: “I’m too busy putting out fires”; “There isn’t enough time to plan”; and “Planning limits my freedom.” Instead of having multiple to-do lists scattered about, use a daily planner to keep notes easily accessible in one place. Spend 10–15 minutes each day, when you won’t be interrupted, to go over daily tasks and review goals. It takes some discipline to establish this new routine, but time and energy saved will be the reward!

THIRD, understand priorities and procrastination.

To execute a successful plan, you need to understand and identify the difference between what’s important, urgent and optional. Understanding how to prioritize your tasks and projects will help you avoid procrastination! We all procrastinate, often because we choose to do the tasks that feel most comfortable. With due diligence, you can expand your comfort zone when you follow where your priorities guide you next.

FINALLY, by working smarter you can accomplish more.

Delegate tasks when possible; cooperate with coworkers to save time for everyone; learn to say “no”; and work for results, not perfection or neatness.

The PAY-OFF.

It’s never too late to change old habits and develop new, more productive ones. Once you are working more efficiently, you’ll have less stress and more disposable time to spend as you want, in recreation or relaxation.

Jean, Director of Production Services

The event, “Let’s Zero In On Energy Independence,” was designed to highlight the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability while also raising awareness of alternative energy and conservation. SCA executives and state and local dignitaries were featured in the dedication ceremony. A community green fair, with dozens of exhibitors, increased public involvement.

The Directions PR team for the SCA Tissue account –Tom Lyons, Sarah Pitsch and Holly Jensky, assisted by intern Emma Giertz – worked seamlessly with SCA Tissue employees on everything from strategy to event management to pre- and post-event publicity. This dedicated group of agency and client employees quickly bonded into a self-described “Team Turbine.”

As a result of this campaign, the event, the turbines and the company’s sustainability message received extensive coverage by media in Northeast Wisconsin, including print, television, websites and environmental blogs. More stories are still in the works. Some examples of the coverage include:

Pre-event

• Renew Wisconsin, blog, 6/24/10
• ECOS-Fox Valley, online, 6/24/10
• Marketplace Magazine, online, 7/19/10
• Home Energy Alternatives, online, 7/20/10
• Appleton Post-Crescent, print and online, 7/20/10

Day of the event

• Marketplace Magazine, online, 7/21/10
• Dwd.wisconsin.gov, online, 7/21/10
• Wispolitics.com, online, 7/21/10
• Racine News, online, 7/21/10
• Fox-11, TV, 7/21/10

Post-event

• Renew Wisconsin, blog, 7/22/10
• Fox-11, TV, 7/22/10
• BizTimes.com, online, 7/23/10
• Neenah News-Record, print and online, 7/27/10

“The Directions team helped us achieve excellent results for our Wind Turbine event,” said Cindy Stilp, Marketing and Communications Director, SCA Tissue North America. “From drawing hundreds of attendees to the community event, to inviting key local and state dignitaries to the dedication ceremony, and obtaining print and TV media coverage that highlighted our sustainability commitment, ‘Team Turbine’ did a wonderful job for SCA.”

Holly,  PR Manager

Options are as much a part of the creative process as any other creative factor that comes to mind, and yet there are companies that limit the number of options they request, sometimes only asking for one option. The reasons vary: It could be that a specific direction has already been agreed upon and additional options seem unnecessary or perhaps they feel overwhelmed with multiple options or maybe they’re trying to save some money in the short run.

Options are an important part of the creative process when working with your agency to determine final concepts that provide you with the most return for your marketing dollars. Your approach to the creative process should produce a broad range of ideas to ensure that you have captured the very best creative idea to sell your product.

Marketing can be one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal for creating change. I’m not just talking about convincing the world that this newest gadget is something you can’t live without. Everything in the media and on store shelves has a marketer behind the scenes, stroking your intellect and subconscious toward a new perspective. Commercials, products you see in movies, print ads, billboards, pop-ups on the internet, and the slick packaging attempt to motivate you to buy. You buy in to experience entertainment, advertisements can sway your political decisions, and you often pluck a ripe new product from the shelf or showroom to take home with you. Do you see the dollars spent through the persuasion of marketing?

With so much on the line, why forego multiple options in the creative process to save on the front end when so much is on the line when the final message is revealed?

Options provide power of choice in how to best showcase what you’re selling. Now you have several choices at your disposal! Consider which presentation has the strongest persuasive power. Play one pitch against the other and determine which one really hits home.

As you review each option on its own merits, the act of talking about each one, showing them to others and discussing their strengths and weaknesses… this generates even more energy, beyond what each one alone can do. This newly found energy percolates within the team, generating new ideas, fresh perspectives and often a brand new approach (or two) that hadn’t been considered previously. Or, could there be characteristics within the different options that you want to combine to pull together a more persuasive message for the consumer?

Now you go into your revision process energized and focused, knowing that you’ve explored several fresh options for how to best hone your message and hit your mark!

Chip, Creative Director

The importance of marketing as the economy bounces back!

RECESSION. We’ve all been hearing about, reacting to, and some people are even hiding in fear of, this economic downturn.

How ‘bout this? Rather than cringing in fear, see the situation as an opportunity to expand your brand’s market share.

Decade after decade, history shows us that now is NOT the time to curb your marketing efforts. Sales and profits can be maintained, and even increased, in recession years!

BONUS: There’s an increased market share seen in the years immediately following a recession for those who are willing to maintain an aggressive marketing posture.

How can this be? Because others follow through with cutbacks that dig into their company’s marketing budget, pulling their promotional efforts, essentially erasing their face from the playing field. We are all familiar with “out of sight, out of mind” and this is true when trying to maintain market share. While others pull back you, by default, move to the forefront!

REMEMBER: When other businesses cut back on marketing and advertising, they are surrendering potential market share. What better opportunity to pick up new customers and increase your brand’s profile in the marketplace? They’re cutting back and you claim their abandoned market share.

RESEARCH YOUR CUSTOMER. More than ever you need to know how consumers are responding to the recession. How are they redefining their values during this downturn? Price elasticity curves are changing and the must-have features of yesterday are today’s can-live-without options. By thoroughly understanding your consumer, you can better target your marketing arrows and see bigger returns on those marketing dollars.

BONUS: The promotions you execute now can be acquired at a lower cost than during healthier economic times. Really? Absolutely! Paid advertising can often be purchased at a much lower price during an economic recession. Media and print resources are also feeling the pinch, creating a more negotiable environment. Some companies, short on cash, may even be willing to barter.

FREE MARKETING RESOURCES abound in today’s society of digital communications. A company blog is the obvious first step. As you develop the blog it can easily be expanded to include more frequent postings to add more readers, interest and conversations.

FREE PUBLICITY through press releases, special event marketing, and community involvement can be powerful market-expansion techniques. Attend industry and non-industry events to reach potential clients through networking. Attend the trade shows on your calendar, even if you have to decline being an exhibitor. You can support and add to your client base with active lead generation at events like trade shows. Make yourself available for media interviews to get your name and business out there; establish yourself as an expert in the field.

REMEMBER: Much of the competition has stepped back or been temporarily reduced. Now is the time for your company to step in and fill those gaps.

Linda, Prepress Specialist

Williams, a wish granter for five years, was instrumental in granting the wish of 10-year-old Colton, whose dream was to go shopping for a Wii gaming system and accessories, with one special guest – Green Bay Packers fullback, John Kuhn.

After an hour of non-stop shopping, Colton and family, along with Kuhn, finished the evening with dinner, where another surprise awaited – Kuhn invited the family as his personal guests for a preseason game in August.

Williams’ involvement extends from helping the family fill out necessary paperwork to arranging and coordinating wish-day details. She also acts as a liaison between the family and the chapter field office, located in Appleton.

Since its inception in 1984, the Wisconsin Chapter of Make-A-Wish, headquartered in Milwaukee, has granted more than 3,800 wishes with 184,000 nationwide. Currently, more than 200 children are in the process of having their wishes fulfilled. Children with life-threatening conditions are eligible after receiving doctors’ approval, with the most common wish request being a trip to Disney World. But wishes are as grand as a child’s imagination, with many now enjoying international travel.

Other wishes Williams is working on include an 11-year-old girl’s wish to travel to California to visit the locations where her favorite book characters hang out, and a 7-year-old boy’s wish to have his room redecorated in a GI-Joe theme.

Directions recognizes the importance of serving the community and has many employees engaged in helping an array of local organizations. Periodically, throughout the year, Directions holds various fundraiser-type activities or donation opportunities that further this volunteer spirit.

Kristin, Proofreader

Private Label, explain to me how you came into our ranks.

Sir, yes sir! I’m one of many products manufactured by large companies to be marketed and sold under another company’s name. Someone in your corps recruited me to snap to attention on the shelf, sir. And sometimes, sir, I am referred to as “Store Brand.”

How is it possible that you, Private Label, are able to stand out in this crowd?

Sir, you see products like me every day, everywhere. Marketers are screaming for fresh, innovative packaging so that private labels like me stand tall next to brand names.

We private-label products are lined up next to the competition as lower-price alternatives to more recognizable brands, yet we offer comparable performance. And, sir, some private-label products are produced and marketed as premium brands to compete with heavily advertised name brands.

Okay, Private Label, how is this “premiumization” accomplished?

In a world economy where responsiveness is the front line to a successful strategy, you need a source to manage the production and marketing of your product with efficiency. Whether sourced internally or externally, you need packaging that will grab consumer attention, and be executed with sharp-shooter precision.

But WHY would these retailers choose you over name brands?

In 2009, Private Label’s share of new products increased to nearly 25 percent, and in some retail sectors, these brands account for about 40 percent of store sales. Many retailers note that while advertising national brands brings shoppers in, they profit more by selling private-label brands.

In the current economic environment, Private Label’s benefit (value) loyalty is replacing brand loyalty. Some packaging professionals call the trend a “flight to value.” A well-executed package design creates the image of value in the shopper’s mind, and that means a likely purchase.

So, Private Label, are you implying Directions can help manufacturers and retailers share in those profits?

Yes, sir! They know how to market a company’s private label without eating up profits in their competing name brand product. By creating a distinct image and fresh customer perception from other brands, Directions can provide a separate presence for a company’s alternate offering. Real price gaps exist between private label and name brands. Directions’ know-how in package design capitalizes on those gaps, beating out the opposition.

Enlist Directions’ talent, experience, and professional contacts in the industry and maximize the profitability of your private-label consumer goods.

Hooah!

Linda, Prepress Specialist

Now, this is where the fun begins, where packaging creatives work to get our heads around the personality of the product’s target consumer. To achieve this understanding, we develop style boards or reflection boards.

A reflection board is a graphic representation of target-consumer psychographics. What stimuli do we know will prompt responses by this consumer? If we were marketing to crows, we know they respond to shiny objects, so our packaging would best bear some bling to attract their attention. Humans, as it turns out, are more complex, more challenging—and much more fun.

Reflection boards typically address the following categories. Depending on the situation, the list can be reduced or expanded:
1. Core competition
2. Household hard goods, electronics, toys
3. Consumer packaged goods
4. Transportation
5. Daily influences (products or media)
6. Clothing, color, textures, patterns
7. Living space
8. Leisure activities
9. Retail evaluations, shelf presence
10. Trends

As responsible creatives, we strive to address both the big picture and the minute details that contribute to a successful package. It takes an open mind, intuitiveness, talent, and plenty of hard work to bring all the elements together and create packaging that meets its goals—standing out on the retail shelf, speaking directly—and with relevance—to its target audience, and persuading them to interact and buy.

Todd, Creative Director

Held on Saturday, June 5, Bark in Park featured 1- and 2-mile pledge walks for community residents and their canine friends, at the pristine Thrivent Financial Grounds. All event proceeds went to the FVHA to help care for the nearly 5,000 animals that come through its doors annually.

Out of more than 300 registered walkers for this year’s event, Johnson was the third-highest individual pledge raiser, with 10 of her total pledges contributed by Directions’ employees, equaling $360 of the $900 total.

Johnson participated in the event with her two dogs, Kitt and Jagg. Johnson has supported Bark in the Park for 11 years, raising more than $6,000 total.

FVHA was founded as the Appleton Humane Society in 1891, making it the second oldest humane society in the state of Wisconsin. In 2009, FVHA placed 100 percent of its adoptable dogs for the fifth consecutive year, and is closing in on the same goal for its cats.

Holly, PR Manager