Hybrid: Consulting Firm & Advertising Agency

January 11, 2010, 12:23 pm

≫ Next: Justify Your Investment

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Amidst the stories of mass layoffs and rising unemployment emerges a company determined to bring authenticity, integrity, and value back to the business environment.   Junction Creative LLC (Junction), an Atlanta-based strategy firm, defies traditional boundaries to create a hybrid between a consulting firm and an advertising agency.  Junction consults with emerging and existing businesses, providing measurable, results-driven strategic solutions.

“The ability for a company to react, adapt, and thrive in this economy is vital,” comments Julie Cropp Gareleck, Managing Partner, Junction.  “Business practices are changing as consumer behaviors continue to evolve.  It’s critical for businesses to assess and redefine fundamental strategies to sustain and remain competitive in a challenging business climate.”

Junction offers customized solutions across business, brand/marketing, and technology, across industries, providing a unique advantage for clients.  This un-agency prides itself on its ability to adapt services for start-up and early stage companies as well as global Fortune 500 companies.  Services include: business planning, opportunity assessments, venture coaching, integrated online/offline marketing strategy, user experience analysis and design, as well as technology evaluation and strategy.  All solutions are designed to align with strategic objectives to yield the highest success metric.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want to be known for the most competitive billable rate,” comments Gareleck. “I want the success of my business to be measured by the success of our clients.”

 

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Justify Your Investment

January 11, 2010, 1:19 pm

≫ Next: A Little Advice

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Identify risk and return with sufficient accuracy and confidence to justify investment.”  The Boston Consulting Group

Any questions?

 

A Little Advice

January 15, 2010, 6:58 am

≫ Next: How Does Your Company Value Innovation?

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In 2009, one of our clients spent a sizable portion of  his budget  on an agency who boasted their strategic services.  The strategy document, all though well-formatted, complete with fancy charts, were devoid of a sustantive strategy.  The 8-page deliverable  read like a book report.   Unfortunately, the end result for our client was a fiscal waste.  Fortunately, our team was able to step in to provide the measurable strategy he was looking for.

Strategy by defintion is a long-range plan, method, or roadmap for obtaining specific objectives or goals that insure success.  Strategy is not market research.

Consider this when vetting your strategic partner.

 

How Does Your Company Value Innovation?

January 26, 2010, 7:06 am

≫ Next: Great Development Shop

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As a new decade befalls us, we are reminded of the importance of value innovation.  It is the way to become more efficient, compete more aggressively, deliver better results to create more sustainable growth are abuzz.

If we define innovation as new ideas; thinking outside traditional boundaries; new products or services, how is it that one creates this thing called “value innovation?”

Here are two important ingredients:

• Ensure stakeholder readiness.  If your stakeholders are not committed to investing and exploring new ideas, products/services, etc., failure is certain.
• Employ a well-defined process to bring the innovation to fruition.  If you don’t have a clear plan to execute on, failure is certain.

How does your company value innovation?

 

Great Development Shop

January 28, 2010, 10:57 am

≫ Next: A Perspective on Competition

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Congratulations to Jason Tye and his team at Doublejump Interactive for the launch of their new site. www.doublejumpinteractive.com

 

A Perspective on Competition

January 29, 2010, 6:35 am

≫ Next: Strategy Check List

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As reluctant consumers curb spending, companies are facing what seems  an insurmountable task of gaining a slice of what market share remains.

The traditional approach has been to compete directly with competitors most times offering the same products and services with varied pricing.  This model has certainly proven to be successful in the past.

However, what if companies created a new approach?  Instead of trying to beat the competition, companies aim to make the competition irreverent. By exploring value innovation (thus creating higher consumer value), companies are able to carve out an uncontested niche in the marketplace.

What’s your perspective on competition?

 

Strategy Check List

February 2, 2010, 6:45 am

≫ Next: Reading and Managing the Zone

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Developing a strategy, whether enterprise wide or at the functional level, is a daunting task for any company.  Here’s a high-level check list to get start the conversation.

1. What is the vision?
2. What is the overarching strategy and tactics for executing this vision?
3. What resources are required to execute on the strategy?
4. Define milestones.
5. Who is responsible for each tactical element of the strategy?
6. List potential risk factors.   How can the strategy be adapted in response to those risk factors?

Let the conversation begin…

 

Reading and Managing the Zone

February 4, 2010, 7:26 am

≫ Next: A Blog Post Worth Reading

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Linda Richardson, author of Sales Coaching: Making the Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, wrote an interesting perspective on zones that proves relevance to employees across an enterprise….The value in understanding the cultural zone of your employees yields increased employee retention which directly correlates to a more profitable company.   Let’s dig deeper.

4 Cultural Zones

• Dead Zone – Employees are not actively interested in improving, lack interest in the future, and are disengaged
• Comfort Zone – Employees want to be effective, reproduce the success of the past, and tend to have blinders on with regards to new approaches
• Panic Zone – Employees are in a period of “reactive adjustment’, at a loss for how to change old systems, and can’t learn well
• Stretch Zone – Employees are actively involved, committed to developing, and are open to learning about to be more successful

Most employees work and live in predominantly one zone, although it’s possible to switch from zone to zone for a short time.   Effective managers  can read these zones and manage employees into a stretch zone,  resulting in increased productivity, consistent growth, and greater employee retention.  When a company isn’t constantly managing employee turnover, the focus becomes profitability and growth.

How is your company reading and managing the zone?

 

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A Blog Post Worth Reading

February 22, 2010, 4:26 am

≫ Next: Business is Moving Forward

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Creative Age: Tearing Structure Apart http://bit.ly/cr8U7i

 

Business is Moving Forward

February 22, 2010, 6:11 am

≫ Next: Branding You Won’t Forget

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San Diego Innovation Economy Doubles Start-up Rate and VC Funding Outpaces Most Regions with 90% Jump

There was a leap in the pace of launching new technology companies in the second quarter of 2009, CONNECT’s newly released Second Quarter 2009 Innovation Report shows.    Start-ups were up 53% with 102 companies launched. In the first quarter of 2009 only 66 compa- nies were created. The increase over second quarter last year was 34% with 76 companies launched in the second quarter of 2008.

The CONNECT Innovation Report (CIR) is the first to provide an economic indicator of the strength and impact of the innovation economy in San Diego. Published each quarter by CONNECT, San Diego’s technology and life sciences accelerator, the Report includes:

• New innovation start-ups
• Venture capital investment
• Mergers and acquisition activity
• New patent applications and patents granted
• Research grants
• Research employment and wage

Overall, San Diego accounted for 14% of new technology businesses started in California, in the second quarter of 2009, ranking third after Los Angeles (LA) and Santa Clara counties. LA had 140 start-ups and Santa Clara had 117.

*From my friends at Innovation America

 

Branding You Won’t Forget

February 24, 2010, 2:27 pm

≫ Next: Strategy Uprising for the Creation of Sustainable Businesses

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This is the most unique brand experience that I had to share:
Call Nestle Hotline at 1-800-295-0051. When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait QUIETLY for about 10 seconds and I PROMISE you will smile. Keep going and press 4. Then any option after. Don’t ruin the surprise for the next person.

Thanks Nestle for shaking things up!

 

Strategy Uprising for the Creation of Sustainable Businesses

February 24, 2010, 2:41 pm

≫ Next: Social Media Strategy

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2009 was riddled with stories of corporate downsizing, bankruptcies, and economic uncertainty. The environment rattled even the most accomplished businesses. Some failed, closing the doors forever. Others narrowly survived and new businesses are emerging, both facing the incredible challenge of adapting to a new business climate.

Junction Creative Solutions (Junction), an Atlanta-based consulting firm, specializes in developing and executing strategic solutions across business, brand, marketing and technology to embrace new opportunities for the creation of more sustainable businesses. Junction considers 2010 as the year for a strategic uprising.

For the last decade, many businesses operated without detailed business plans and strategic executions. Consumers were spending more as revenues increased. When the pendulum suddenly shifted, companies weren’t prepared to handle the drastic decline in consumer spending and the effect it had on revenue. For those businesses who survived, strategy is becoming the priority.

“Strategy plays a crucial role in the success of business,” comments Julie Cropp Gareleck, Managing Partner, Junction. “I practice what I preach. I spend the better part of first quarter every year writing and refining my business plan, creating a strategic roadmap, defining goals and objectives, and charting the course for how to achieve success. Although I faced many challenges in securing new business in 2009, I diversified my approach. I followed the plan. I moved forward. As a result, Junction is thriving.”

A strategic plan is more than a roadmap. It defines goals, objectives, and key milestones with considerations for resources and financial capability. Companies can identify and create efficiencies in processes, ultimately maximizing return on investment.

Gareleck provides advice to businesses who are redefining strategies, “I encourage organizations to not only embrace strategy but also commit to the execution. It’s an ongoing and ever-evolving process. Learn from the volatility of 2009. Prepare your company for adapting to the ongoing changes in business as opposed to reacting. I equate the lack of strategy to taking a road-trip without a GPS.”

Social Media Strategy

March 22, 2010, 7:49 am

≫ Next: A Culture of Entitlement

≪ Previous: Strategy Uprising for the Creation of Sustainable Businesses

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Thoughts on strategy from SXSW: http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/03/17/its-the-social-media-strategy-struggle/

 

A Culture of Entitlement

March 29, 2010, 11:22 am

≫ Next: Listen

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Reading the LA Times article about Silicon Valley tech firms and the perks offered to employees.  A ride in a $200,000 vehicle….. I remember a time when going home an hour early was considered a perk…What are we saying to the future of this industry?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-fi-perks28-2010mar28,0,3505494.story?page=2&track=rss

 

Listen

April 8, 2010, 6:19 am

≫ Next: The Impact of a Brand: Nike

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As the marketing world evolves, it’s often the case that creative motivations take precedence over what customers actually want and expect. Listen to your customer. Accept that it’s more about them than you.

 

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The Impact of a Brand: Nike

April 9, 2010, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Turning Friends Into Customers

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Nike is certainly making waves with a bold, new commercial where Tiger Woods stares blankly into the camera as the voice of late Earl Woods questions the golfer.  Whether you think this ad is genius or just plain odd, the impact of this commercial is certainly producing results.  Kudos Nike!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/sports/golf/08tv.html?ref=business

 

Turning Friends Into Customers

April 10, 2010, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Foursquare Helping Businesses?

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Another company leveraging fans, friendships, and family to move products.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/how-to-turn-your-blogs-readers-into-paying-customers/?src=me&ref=technology

Will this latest trend  provide consumer adoption and expected conversion?

 

Foursquare Helping Businesses?

April 11, 2010, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Besting Twitter

≪ Previous: Turning Friends Into Customers

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Fourquare, a location-based social network, provides new tools for businesses to better track customers.   So far 30 businesses are testing the real-time data and will quickly be rolled out to 900 businesses.  The data will provide businesses with an opportunity to customize customer promotions.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/foursquare-introduces-new-tools-for-businesses/?ref=smallbusiness

Foursquare users have the option to keep their information private.  Will you opt-in or opt-out?

 

Besting Twitter

April 12, 2010, 1:00 am

≫ Next: The Sphere of Influence

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Well, Dennis Crowley, CEO of Foursquare (a mobile check-in service), is on the venture circuit traveling to the Silicon Valley and Boston. Foursquare is poised to reach more than 1 milllion users faster than Twitter. With the recent news of tool designed to provide real-time data to businesses, Mark Zuckerberg beware.

What does this mean? It could potentially mean a valuation of $80-$100 million.

http://www.businessinsider.com/foursquare-dennis-crowley-2010-04

 

The Sphere of Influence

April 13, 2010, 1:00 am

≫ Next: How Buy-In Can Creates Sense of Responsibility

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Chris Brogan talks about unique perspective on how to make money with your blog.  Loosely translated from a recent interview, he advises never to ask your community for money, but rather ask the larger corporations for money. By not asking your community directly for money, they in turn will seek you out.  He notes that Oprah is successful example of that.  When she recommends a book or product, people rush out to buy it on her referral.

If you find this at all intersting, I suggest reading “Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.  Tell me what you think.