We Wear Our Client’s Shoes Every Day

“Put yourself in their shoes” means much more than showing empathy.  It signifies placing yourself in another’s situation and circumstances to better understand them.  With every step taken in our client’s shoes, A Consortium creates a roadmap that builds their brands and businesses.

From the word “go”, A Team runs infinite miles in each company’s shoes, starting with assessing marketing objectives, developing SWOT analyses and defining differentiation points, on to drafting benefits language, determining strategic marketing initiatives and creating communications tools.  At each stage of implementation, we keep one foot, more often multiple feet, firmly planted in our client’s footwear. 

This depth of absorption forms the backbone of our prolific and enduring client relationships.  Because A Consortium is hyper-tuned to their needs, we always tend to over deliver.  But, we’re okay with that.  Our involvement goes so deep, it’s often easy to forget we’re not part of the company’s ownership.

In fact, we spend so much time wearing our client’s shoes, we neglect our own marketing needs, just like in the old “Cobbler’s Shoes” story.

And this footgear fetish isn’t only focused on our clients, but extends to their customers as well. A Team will try on any style, from high tops to high heels, so we can learn who their audiences really are and what motivates them.

Marching to a client’s drum equates to holding their best interests to heart. You could say it’s the “sole” of our marketing methodology. Whether a company’s shod in work boots, flip flops, cleats, loafers, wing tips, sandals or slippers, if the shoes fit (and they will), A Consortium will happily wear them.

It’s About Time.

In vintage 1985, ad agencies were ad agencies. Though sizes varied, most were set up pretty much the same way.  As a scrappy young account exec, I ladder-climbed from small independent shops to multi-merger conglomerates.  I learned a few (million) things along the way, chief among them how not to run a marketing company.  I also experienced an epiphany—Rigid job descriptions in corporate memo-mentality environments just weren’t my style.

The road to entrepreneurialism beckoned and, a third of a century later, I haven’t looked back.  When I first introduced the Consortium agency concept, it was an enigma.  The ad community didn’t believe it was possible to function without titled staff in structured departments. Fast forward and many companies have followed suit. Our once unusual structure is now considered the epitome of efficiency.

At the beginning of our journey, advertising was in its heyday.  Times have changed since then…a lot.  Luckily, so have we.  Except for our brand name. These days, traditional advertising is only one of a multitude of marketing techniques we deploy to generate exposure and sell-through. The time had come to take action and reinvent The Advertising Consortium.

Announcing the birth of A Consortium.  One “A” replaced fourteen letters in our name, including superfluous “the” and limiting “advertising.” This single initial symbolizes our All-encompassing Array of Action marketing mechanisms (and also doubles as a service rating!)

Now our brand has evolved to match our true capabilities, while staying true to our Consortium origins. Though it all started by swimming upstream against the tide,  A Consortium, Atypical Marketing in Action, has finally arrived.

The Soul of Marketing

The AMA’s approved definition of Marketing is as follows: Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. 

But we believe it’s much more than that.  Here’s our definition: Marketing is the act of engaging brand believers by earning trust through honest communications that convey genuine product/service attributes, which undeniably benefits the customers the product/service was created for.

Here’s the difference.  Marketing is about relationships and relationships are built on trust.  If you deliver exactly what you claim—and then some—to customers who need what you offer, then you will be rewarded with loyalty.  Loyalty lasts a lifetime, but only if it’s nurtured and maintained properly.

Offerings are meaningless if they aren’t coming from a place of integrity.  The biggest marketing budgets and the best creative in the world are wasted if the product or service doesn’t deliver. 

The bottom line is this:  The Soul of Marketing is the client.  As marketers, it’s our job to vet their industry and determine the most valuable advantages their product or service will deliver for the betterment of its customers, then tell that story in a believable way.  It’s up to the client to make sure that story is the real truth, and nothing but.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

So many clients choose to delay starting their marketing campaigns due to a variety of reasons:  They’re too busy and don’t have the bandwidth to focus on it; they’re overwhelmed with managing production and/or hiring sales people; they’re waiting for a big order to come in so they’ll feel more comfortable allocating funds to marketing; or our personal favorite, it’s holiday season so they put it off until the next year.

Here’s the thing.  While they’re busy taking care of day-to-day business, we could already be conducting valuable research, working up a strategic plan, creating new ad concepts, negotiating media, developing event ideas, securing key partnerships, preparing for upcoming trade shows, implementing PR/social programs, and more.  All it takes is a little client direction and we’re off and running.

For some reason, clients seem to feel that everything has to be perfectly aligned before they’re ready to launch a real marketing effort.  Meanwhile they’re missing the boat, losing awareness, market share and, most importantly, increased sales.  A golden opportunity passes them by with each minute they delay kicking off their new marketing crusade.

What’s the worst that could happen if clients move forward now instead of later?  I can’t think of any pros to waiting, but there are tons of cons.

So take heed all ye marketing procrastinators!  It’s our job to do the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.  Yes you will see and approve everything, but we’ve already done the hard part.  The sooner you let us do what we do best, the sooner you’ll start to see results….we promise.

The game has changed...

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the new page :) We're excited for you to check out our "revamped" agency...and especially our newly-designed marketing packages for potential clients who might not know how to leverage multiple marketing services.

Take a look around, we encourage thoughts and feedback!