Location: Cincinnati
URL: www.hsr.com
Key executive: Rick Segal, CEO
2007 revenue: $20.2 million
2007 b2b revenue: $20.2 million
Employees: 130
Key clients: Eclipse Aviation, Hobart Corp., Johns Manville, Makino, USG Corp.
Major 2007 campaigns: Hobart, “Proud Supporter of You,” print, online, collateral; Kennametal, “MBA Exam,” print, online, direct; DayJet, “Seize the Day,” print, online, direct.
Comments: Increased total revenue by 11% in 2007; added new clients including Accent Marketing, Canon Virginia, Carlisle Power Transmission, DayJet, Gaylord, GE Corporate Financial Services, Hoover's; named Agency of the Year in BMA Pro-Comm Awards.
HSR Business to Business saw another year of robust growth in 2007. The agency launched innovative campaigns for existing clients, won significant new business and was recognized with numerous industry awards. Its revenue totaled $20.2 million, up from $18.1 million in 2006.
Rick Segal, HSR CEO, attributes the agency's success to its exclusive focus on the b2b space. “Every year there are manifold temptations that try to lure us into pursuing other courses,” Segal said, “but long ago we decided that this would be the arena in which we would build and gain our expertise.”
That expertise continued to benefit existing clients in 2007, including Eclipse Aviation, Hobart Corp., Johns Manville, Makino and USG Corp.
The agency's work for USG's Sheetrock joint compound with dust control is a finalist for an AMA Effie award. HSR also helped longtime client Hobart, a provider of commercial kitchen equipment, to relaunch its brand after conducting emotional research on chefs, foodservice directors and restaurant owners.
The research went beyond identifying basic customer attitudes and perceptions to find emotional connections, Segal said. The campaign, which included a complete overhaul of the Hobart Web site and collateral, featured creative that celebrated the success of the customer.
“That may seem hard to believe, that the person who is buying the food mixer or commercial refrigeration equipment would actually have an emotional attachment to these brands. But these [emotional inquiry] tools help you understand that in fact buyers do,” he said.
Other notable work included the launch of DayJet, an on-demand regional jet service that allows businesspeople to buy individual seats on direct flights that travel to regional airports. HSR helped launch the service with the tagline “Seize the day,” using direct mail, print ads, online banners and an interactive “How to DayJet” promotion. The branding work included packaging for a DVD, “DayJet Experience,” as well as a welcome kit including new member IDs and luggage tags.
HSR landed a number of other new clients last year, including ACCENT Marketing; Aclara (formerly known as ESCO Technologies Communications Segment); BJ Services; Canon Virginia; Carlisle Power Transmission; Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee; Gaylord; GE Corporate Financial Services; Hoover's; and Zynx Healthcare.
The agency's expansion efforts have helped establish it as a serious player both in the U.S. and abroad. Its Chicago office, opened in 2004, is now firmly entrenched in that market, Segal said, and the agency last year successfully integrated Denver-based Bronzena Ripley & Partners, which it acquired in late 2006.
HSR continues to partner on projects in China with agency Shanghai Advertising; it also became part of Worldwide Partners, a global network of independent marketing services firms, in 2007. —M.E.M.
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| Hobart |
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| DayJet |
HSR landed a number of other new clients last year, including ACCENT Marketing; Aclara (formerly known as ESCO Technologies Communications Segment); BJ Services; Canon Virginia; Carlisle Power Transmission; Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee; Gaylord; GE Corporate Financial Services; Hoover's; and Zynx Healthcare.
The agency's expansion efforts have helped establish it as a serious player both in the U.S. and abroad. Its Chicago office, opened in 2004, is now firmly entrenched in that market, Segal said, and the agency last year successfully integrated Denver-based Bronzena Ripley & Partners, which it acquired in late 2006.
HSR continues to partner on projects in China with agency Shanghai Advertising; it also became part of Worldwide Partners, a global network of independent marketing services firms, in 2007. —M.E.M.
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