B2B ADVERTISING

Office Depot last month rolled out an ad campaign, “Heroes,” designed to celebrate small businesses and the role they are playing in the economic recovery.

Purchasing agents, engineers, buying committee members, influencers—they are people, too, you know. So address them like human beings when promoting a product or service.

Written language that is impersonal and robotic-sounding will wash past the target audience, never fully engaging them.

The recession has forced b-to-b agencies to come up with innovative ways to win new business, and the efforts are paying off for those that have adapted to the times.

As the Roman numerals continue to pile up, the Super Bowl remains the most anticipated and most followed of all annual marketing events.

The perils of aligning a company's values with a particular celebrity were painfully underscored by the recent, sudden meltdown of Tiger Woods' reputation.

 

CUT TO THE CHASE

Cut to the Chase: Infor There's big oil, big business, big pharma, big labor. And now there's another biggie out there: Big ERP, as in the big software companies, which software maker Infor rails against in a marvelous series of banner ads.   Cut to the Chase: Microsoft Corp. Complex business systems and products don't have to be communicated in complex ways.

 

Russell debuts thought-leadership campaign

Russell Investments, which provides investment products such as mutual funds and retirement plans to institutional and individual investors, rolled out a thought-leadership campaign last month. The campaign, “Conversation Yields Innovation,” was developed by Doremus New York, and launched during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It includes print and online, and is designed to show that in order to improve the financial industry, companies need to listen to their clients and innovate with their needs in mind. “‘Conversation Yields Innovation'...  READ MORE

MOVES & CHANGES

MRM—MRM Worldwide, New York, has named Michael Miller exec VP-chief growth officer. Miller was previously exec VP-director of business development at MRM.

NYCA—NYCA, San Diego, an integrated marketing communications agency, has hired Gabrielle Windsor as director-digital strategy. Windsor was previously head of interactive marketing at Boost Mobile.

Doremus—Allison Womack has been promoted to managing director of Doremus New York. Womack was previously director of client services. She succeeds Howard Sherman, who previously held dual titles as general manager of New York and president of Doremus. Sherman will continue as president of the agency, working on expanding Doremus’ global client base.

Leo Burnett USA—Patti Temple Rocks, previously VP-global public affairs, brand and reputation at Dow Chemical Co., has been named global director of corporate communications at Leo Burnett, Chicago. She has been succeeded by Matt Davis, previously VP-executive communications, government affairs and public relations at Dow.

Mediabrands—Mediabrands Ventures, New York, has named Matt Freeman CEO. Freeman was previously CEO of Betawave Corp., a digital media company. In his new role, he will lead the expansion of Mediabrands' specialist business units including Ansible, Cadreon, The Emerging Media Lab and Reprise Media.

NEW CAMPAIGNS

“Go World”
Agency:TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles
Target audience: Consumers and business commuters in New York
Campaign objective: Raise awareness of Visa's sponsorship of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
Media: Out-of-home (New York's Grand Central Terminal), Facebook
(www.facebook.com/visagoworld), YouTube (www.youtube.com/goworld) Budget: Undisclosed

“Get a Monster Advantage”
Agency: BBDO New York
Target audience: Job-seekers and employers
Campaign objective: Show how Monster.com can give job-seekers and employers an advantage in difficult economic times
Media: TV (Super Bowl), online
Budget: Undisclosed

“Hungry for More”
Agency: Stein Rogan + Partners, New York
Target audience: Consumers and restaurant owners in Western Pennsylvania
Campaign objective: Promote a content partnership between AllMenus.com and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an online dining guide
Media: Print (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), online (www.post-gazette.com/diningguide)
Budget: Undisclosed

ACCOUNT ACTION

MRM—MRM Worldwide, New York, has named Michael Miller exec VP-chief growth officer. Miller was previously exec VP-director of business development at MRM.

NYCA—NYCA, San Diego, an integrated marketing communications agency, has hired Gabrielle Windsor as director-digital strategy. Windsor was previously head of interactive marketing at Boost Mobile.

Doremus—Allison Womack has been promoted to managing director of Doremus New York. Womack was previously director of client services. She succeeds Howard Sherman, who previously held dual titles as general manager of New York and president of Doremus. Sherman will continue as president of the agency, working on expanding Doremus’ global client base.

Leo Burnett USA—Patti Temple Rocks, previously VP-global public affairs, brand and reputation at Dow Chemical Co., has been named global director of corporate communications at Leo Burnett, Chicago. She has been succeeded by Matt Davis, previously VP-executive communications, government affairs and public relations at Dow.

Mediabrands—Mediabrands Ventures, New York, has named Matt Freeman CEO. Freeman was previously CEO of Betawave Corp., a digital media company. In his new role, he will lead the expansion of Mediabrands' specialist business units including Ansible, Cadreon, The Emerging Media Lab and Reprise Media.