Doremus proved that focusing on clients' core business objectives and creating relevant, targeted advertising is a formula for success, even in recessionary times. The b2b unit of agency conglomerate Omnicom Group grew its total revenue by 12% last year and picked up 10 new clients, including Agility, HP Enterprise Business, HP Ink & Printer Group, Office Depot, Peachtree by Sage and Quintiles.

“It's the specialist attention,” said Carl Anderson, CEO of Doremus, describing what makes the agency stand out. “Our approach to clients is to focus not only on the marketing of the brand but [also] the business of the brand. Our mantra is, "Outcomes, not ads.' ”

Many of Doremus' clients are in the hard-hit financial sector, which has taken a beating during the economic downturn. One financial client is Knight Capital Group, a specialty trading firm that offers trade execution services to broker-dealers and institutions.

“They wanted to move from the second tier into the top tier [of trading firms],” Anderson said. “While others in the financial services marketplace remained dark over the last year and a half, Knight continued to invest in marketing and reach out to its key stakeholders and audiences.”

Doremus expanded Knight's campaign, “The Science of Trading. The Standard of Trust,” which debuted in 2008 and focused on core themes of liquidity, access, clarity and insight. In one innovative execution, the agency developed a campaign around the theme of “liquidity” at the Security Traders Association conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., placing a large Knight logo on the bottom of a swimming pool and setting up Knight-branded water stations around the conference. The campaign also included print and online ads.

Another financial client, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), wanted to reassure investors and raise awareness of its role as a credible regulatory body in the midst of market turmoil. So it turned to Doremus to develop an integrated campaign, called “"FINRA Protects," The effort used TV, radio and online ads designed to drive investors to a microsite (www.finraprotects.org) where they could learn about protecting their investments and FINRA's role as a regulatory body.

Following the campaign, awareness of FINRA increased 40% among investors.

For client Sage, Doremus was charged with developing a brand campaign aimed at small and midsize businesses. The company had previously advertised its individual software brands (such as Act and Peachtree), but wanted to raise awareness of the Sage brand.

“One of Sage's key business objectives was reshaping the business model from being a house of brands to a branded house,” Anderson said.

So Doremus created an integrated campaign, called “The Sage Experience,” which featured contextually relevant banner ads on sites such as Entrepreneur.com and Inc.com, as well as pre-roll video ads sponsoring SMB-related content on Web TV sites and on the CNN/Money Airport Network. The campaign also included print ads in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Doremus invested heavily in research last year, including partnering with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College on a study called “Communications in Crisis,” which identified opportunities for marketing during times of turmoil.

“As we look at 2010, we will continue to invest in our intellectual capital and apply intellectual capital in areas like SMB—that will be one of our key areas of focus in the coming year,” Anderson said. —K.M.

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