• Public Relations Manager

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    The Martin Group, a leading integrated communications firm with offices across New York State, is seeking a Public Relations Manager based out of Buffalo for the agency’s growing public relations department. The successful candidate will manage the various needs of multiple client accounts, deliver exceptional written communications deliverables, and find creative ways to leverage brand stories to gain favorable brand and reputational outcomes for clients.

    At The Martin Group, the difference is making one. It’s an identity and way of thinking that defines who we are as an agency. We believe we’re here to make a difference for our clients, colleagues, and communities every day. You will be successful in this role if you have great communication and storytelling skills, enjoy engaging with others, write with exceptional skill and precision, and demonstrate creativity in delivering solutions. The ideal candidate is passionate about what they do and committed to professional growth and propelling client success.

     

    Primary Responsibilities:

    • Acts as the day to day contact for various clients, managing their public relations needs and overseeing any creative service requests, as well as vendors and outside consultants as needed
    • Helps clients achieve success through personalized service and an understanding of their industries and business objectives, as well as their challenges and opportunities
    • Works with senior members of the team to create and implement PR strategies and campaigns that align with clients’ goals and objectives by identifying target audiences and setting measurable goals
    • Writes press releases, media advisories, scripts, speeches, talking points, briefing documents, blog content, advertising copy, and other internal and external PR content for clients and the agency
    • Builds and maintains relationships with journalists, editors and influencers through effective story pitching, interview coordination, inquiry management, and networking
    • Plans and coordinates events such as press conferences, product launches and community outreach initiatives to generate positive publicity and engage key stakeholders, and serves as client and agency representative at such events
    • Tracks media coverage for client campaigns using various metrics and tools, assesses public opinion, and works with senior members of the team to provide clients with results and recommendations for future strategies
    • Writes compelling and on-brand content for digital and social channels, and demonstrates an aptitude and willingness to manage social media campaigns and efforts
    • Attends networking and media events, as well as meetings with clients, suppliers and partner organizations to discuss aspects of PR campaigns and activities
    • Demonstrates capability to provide strategic counsel to clients at a moment’s notice with support from account leads or other senior members of the PR team
    • Assists in delivering presentations to various internal and external audiences, including media trainings for clients and new business pitches
    • Creates and manages client budgets and works with the PR team to ensure projects are completed within budget
    • Establishes community relationships to expand the agency’s network with the intention of contributing to future new business initiatives
    • Executes various research projects as needed for clients and senior members of the team

    Skills and Abilities:

    • Outstanding and widely recognized ability to craft written content, copy and messaging in various styles, voices and tones tailored to different audiences, product categories, and branding initiatives
    • Passionate and up to date on the latest in local and national news, current events, digital trends and tactics
    • Ability to mobilize audience participation and engagement, and develop compelling content and editorial pieces
    • Communicates clearly and effectively in person, via email, and over the phone with clients, PR team members, and other agency staff at every level on various projects or topics
    • Deliver strong and engaging presentations on various topics and to various audiences
    • Ability to consistently meet deadlines, surpass client expectations, manage competing priorities, and demonstrate competence and discretion related to high-profile projects at all times
    • Ability to be proactive, reliable, and accurate with a keen eye for detail
    • Proficient with X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media platforms
    • Proficient with Microsoft Office, Zoom, Dropbox and various productivity tools; familiarity with WordPress, Hootsuite, and other similar tools
    • Collaborates effectively internally and across departments to achieve agency and client goals

    Requirements:

    • Minimum of 4 years of experience in public relations or communications
    • Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, or related fields, or equivalent work experience
    • Writing samples that clearly showcase your ability to craft engaging content

    Salary Range: $60,000 – $75,000/yr

     

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  • Food for Thought: Takeaways from Niagara University’s Food Marketing Innovation Summit

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    On Thursday, May 2, The Martin Group had the pleasure of attending Niagara University’s Food Marketing Center Of Excellence (FMCOE) 2019 Innovation Summit, a half-day conference in which heavy hitters from the food industry offered their unique insights around this year’s topic: “Loyalty That Lasts: Creating Personalized Customer Experiences for Loyalty in the Digital Age.”

    Before recapping the key takeaways from the summit, a bit about the FMCOE: from NU’s College of Business Marketing, the program is a unique collaboration between the university, its students, and local food and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry leaders that provides students with tremendous educational and career opportunities, and industry executives with access to the next generation of food and CPG marketing leaders. The program is supported in many ways by some of the world’s leading industry companies—many headquartered in Western New York and Southern Ontario, and in close proximity to NU—including Perry’s Ice Cream, Wegmans, Tops, Rich Products, Rosina, and others.

    The makeup and approach of the program is mutually beneficial to NU students and industry leaders alike. Students are empowered to thrive in a variety of food marketing roles through education and internship opportunities, while the industry benefits from an expanding pool of graduates who enter the labor force with a unique set of skills and knowledge in areas such as brand management, social media, category management, marketing research, marketing agencies, and sales.

    The Innovation Summit represents an annual culmination of this unique collaboration, and this year’s event did not disappoint.

    The first presentation was from Jack Li, a Haiku Master (is that not the coolest title ever?) with DATASSENTIAL, a leading food & beverage insights agency where Jack has pioneered the use of menu data to predict flavor trends. Jack’s presentation, entitled “Let’s Get Personal,” offered conferencegoers a data-driven look at the new personalization paradigm and its implications across the dimensions of personal health, personal tastes, and personal values.

    Jack’s presentation focused on three key trends – personalization, convergence, and migration—and how they’re driving innovation throughout the food industry, from restaurants to retail.

    • Personalization: Not to be confused with customization, personalization is about leveraging the emergent sphere of individualized health (think home DNA kits) to create personalized nutrition choices tailored to each individual’s unique genetics, health and fitness goals, etc. 

    • Convergence: A number of different convergence points are shaping the industry, but one in particular focuses on functionality—namely, the intersection of functional food and functional health and beauty. “Functional” foods like bee pollen, turmeric, quinoa, and other “superfoods” geared toward optimizing performance and nutrition can today be found not just in food and beverage products but, increasingly, in health and beauty products as well.

    • Migration: The boom in migration of new ethnic populations is changing how we (Americans, that is) think about food, and introducing  an unprecedented variety of new concepts, flavors, and ingredients into New American fare.

    Another great industry heuristic that Jack shared was what he called the “4-stage cycle” along which new industry trends tend to advance:

    • Stage 1: Inception – Initial introduction into the marketplace, which almost always begins at newer, niche restaurants.
    • Stage 2: Adoption – With growing popularity, the trend next advances into specialty grocery stores and food trucks, though remains fairly niche.
    • Stage 3: Proliferation – When the trend can be found in larger grocers and chain restaurants, it’s officially graduated from niche to mainstream.
    • Stage 4: Ubiquity – When a trend has reached maximum saturation, and has essentially run its course.

    So how do these new trends evolve beyond the first stage? According to Li, new food trends are increasingly breaking through as early-stage ingredients accompanying ubiquitous items with which consumers are more comfortable, like fries, burgers, etc. This process of “safe experimentation” is what Jack refers to as “Fusebiquity,” or “ubiquity with a dash of inception.”

    Next up was Jason Smith, a Managing Director with USA Shopper Intelligence, which runs the largest syndicated shopper survey in the world to benchmark retailers, departments, categories, brands, and segments across dozens of different shopper metrics.

    Jason’s talk focused on “Shopper Led Decision Making,” in which he made the important distinction between the “consumer” (the imaginary purchasing persona that drives strategy for most manufacturers) and the “shopper,” maintaining that understanding how and why shoppers make decisions is more important than ever as the retail landscape continues to navigate today’s unprecedented level of disruption.  

    He also listed some of the key challenges for CPG manufacturers wanting to do shopper research:

    • Cost: custom research on shoppers is expensive
    • Narrow focus: lacks context to rest of store
    • Typically centered around large retailers
    • No standardization: each research partner brings a different methodology
    • Strong push for near-term ROI can limit long-term success
    • Research tends to get stuck in corporate and doesn’t always get leveraged by field teams

    Last but not least in the individual presentations was Neil Stern, a senior partner with McMillanDoolittle, where he’s developed and implemented retail strategies for an impressive bevy of clients, including Harris Teeter, CVS, McDonald’s, and Publix.

    Stern’s presentation, entitled “How to Maintain Relevancy and Positioning for Growth in a Changing Retail Landscape,” focused on how rapid changes to the retail landscape are leading to an explosion of new formats, as alternative channels continue to grab market share from traditional grocers.

    Stern noted that the disruption of traditional retail is being driven by three separate, but interrelated trends: demographic, technological, and societal. He also noted that growth in food retail is clustering around the following emerging formats:

    • Fresh
    • Limited assortment
    • Dollar format
    • Ecommerce (though, somewhat surprisingly, just 2% of food retail sales are online)

    Stern noted that retail is essentially moving to the extremes: extreme value, extreme convenience, and extreme experiences. He then offered some interesting examples—both stateside and abroad—for each. My personal favorite was Don Quixote in Japan—a store that breaks all the rules around organization and avoiding clutter, creating a unique shopping experience that’s akin to a treasure hunt.

    Following the individual presentations, the summit shifted to an executive panel discussion that included the following retail leaders:

    • Frank Curci – Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Tops Markets
    • Mike DeCory – Vice President of Grocery, Dairy, Frozen, Wegmans Food Markets
    • Jim Dorey – President, Price Rite Marketplace
    • Ian Prisuta – Chief Strategy Officer, Giant Eagle, Inc.
    • Kurt Schertle – Chief Operating Officer, Weis Markets

    The panel included a wide-ranging discussion around in-store strategy. One of the more interesting topics was around “center store,” which has historically served as the key sales and profit driver at grocery retailers, but is now being disrupted by shoppers’ evolving preferences toward perishables, bakery items, ready-made foods, etc. This is causing retailers to undergo more center-store “resets” than ever before as they continue to find the right sweet spot for today’s shoppers.

    Despite the diversity of speakers and subjects included in the Innovation Summit, the common motif throughout was disruption. We are all living through unprecedented changes, and probably don’t appreciate the extent these changes are affecting the way we shop for and consume food. But while this disruption presents myriad challenges, it also entails a number of exciting opportunities—both for the industry and those young professionals looking to penetrate it.

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  • Designing packaging that moves and speaks—even when it doesn’t

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    Recently, 19 Crimes designed a series of interactive wine labels that came to life and told of their “crimes” when viewed through the brand’s smartphone app. While we don’t have access to sales data, if the number of people pointing their phones at end caps and aisle displays is any indication, they were wildly popular. People enjoy interacting with the products they buy. It can draw in new customers and build brand loyalty, two areas that have a direct impact on the bottom line.

    But interactivity doesn’t require a smartphone—just smart design. Good product packaging can be interactive even if it never moves or speaks. Done well, it can move the consumer and speak to them in ways that compel them to buy.

    A few months ago, our long-standing client, Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, decided it was time to readdress their Passion Feet line of wines. One of three award-winning brands that are part of the Three Brothers portfolio, Passion Feet is a line of blends and table wines that enjoy a loyal customer base that skews toward a female demographic. The old labels were quaint and playful, picturing women in a signature style—tall, fashionable, with really big feet. But the time had come for a brand refresh. Three Brothers wanted the labels to reflect both the wine and the women who drink it…and the Women of Distinction series was born.

    Without an app and any digital magic, the labels that we created are good examples of interactivity of the old-fashioned variety. Our experience has taught us that packaging should interact with a consumer in three ways—from across the aisle, from three feet away, and when the product is in your hand. Passion Feet does all three.

    Each of the labels features a silhouette of a woman—intentionally faceless so it could be any woman or every woman. All in the same profile, they make a compelling series when standing side-by-side on the shelf. Clean design with a white background, the colorful women are different in what makes up their hair or head covering—and definitely worth a closer look.

    At a closer level, you can see the detail of what makes each woman different. Working in tandem with the evocative names, the individual labels feature women with hair made from elements of nature, pop art, and adventure. By design, they compel you to pick them up and examine them more closely to see what defines Ferocity, Eccentricity, Audacity, and other traits of both wine and women. 

    Finally, when the consumer picks up the bottle in the store or as they pour a glass at home, the labels invite some interaction and time. Most will first notice the details of the printing that includes unique illustrations from artists in numerous countries, foils, embossing and debossing, and other techniques that are only appreciated at close inspection. On the back, there is also a short story that captures the spirit embodied in the name and the aspirations of many of the consumers who will drink it.

    The series earned an ADDY award and a comment from the judges that said, “It’s sort of a reward to pick up a package that catches your eye and then you read it and say, ‘Oh, there’s even something interesting to read on it as well.’ So it delivers the full experience. It all works together. You can tell there was a brand voice that was evolved for this product.”

    That experience invites women to speculate which label best captures their spirit and which wine will best suit their taste. The experience can also sow the seeds of brand loyalty. If a label can bring someone across the aisle to pick it up and then see themselves in it, it has made the buying decision less about price and more about emotion. And that is where every brand aspires to be.

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  • Albany Law School

    You searched for new era cap – Page 26 of 31 – The Martin Group

    With steady enrollment growth, increased rankings, and accolades for academic innovation, Albany Law, the nation’s oldest independent law school, was already experiencing positive momentum. But how to transfer that momentum to an ambitious fundraising campaign?

    Our strategy and creative, like We Rise Together: The Campaign for Albany Law School itself, recognized and centered around a single fact—individual stories of student perseverance and triumph collectively raise the institution to a new level and form a compelling reason for philanthropic support of Albany Law.

    Through stories of students who each embody a different campaign pillar and who all embody the Albany Law commitment to excellence, service, and insatiable improvement, a case statement, campaign video, and campaign landing page told the Albany Law School story—one that invokes pride in the school’s past and enthusiasm for its future.

    At the campaign’s public announcement, Albany Law School had secured $22 million of its $30 million goal. As of June 2020—just 18 months after the launch—gifts to the campaign amounted to $28 million. Individually, our tactics increased awareness and engagement for Albany Law. But together, they formed a cohesive campaign capable of helping Albany Law achieve its most ambitious fundraising goal.

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  • The Importance of Paid Social Media

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    paid social media

    Home to 2.2 billion active users worldwide on Facebook and 1 billion on Instagram, there’s no denying that social media is the most important tool businesses can utilize to share their message and connect with their audience. But with Facebook and Instagram’s constantly evolving algorithm favoring the people their users interact with the most, the competition for space in the newsfeed is getting fiercer each day, and businesses on social media have an even harder time of getting their content in front of their audiences.

    Organically, only 2% of a business’s followers see their content with that number seemingly shrinking more and more each year. Without a paid social media plan behind a content or promotional strategy, there’s a large chance messages will fall on deaf ears.

    Luckily, as Facebook’s algorithm has evolved, so has their paid advertising platform and offerings. People seem to think that all you need to do is think about a product and you’ll start seeing an advertisement in your newsfeed. Reading your mind isn’t exactly how Facebook’s ad platform works, but with the level of detail you’re able to target an audience, it doesn’t seem to be far from the truth.

    Facebook uses its own first party data of what its users provide on their profiles, who they’re connected to, what pages you like and interact with, and connected app data to allow businesses to strategically target users.

    When creating a paid social strategy, the most important thing is to determine what the overall goal of the campaign is before determining who the target audience should be.

    Ad Objectives

    There are a number of objectives to choose from when creating a Facebook ad. Once you’ve determined the goal of your campaign, that’ll help you determine which objective you should choose.

    • Brand awareness and reach
    • Website traffic
    • Page, post, and event engagement
    • Video views
    • App installs
    • Lead generation
    • Messages
    • Conversions
    • Facebook catalog sales

    Audience Targeting

    Facebook’s sophisticated ad platform allows its users to strategically target audiences with general interest and demographic targeting, as well as advanced targeting capabilities.

    Targeting Capabilities:

    • Location, age, gender, language, interest, demographic, financial, industry, behavior targeting, and more
    • Retarget website visitors
    • Retarget newsletter email lists
    • Retarget lookalike audiences similar to web visitors and email lists
    • Dynamically retarget e-commerce products

    Once you’ve determined your goal and audience, Facebook will share your ad and help you grow your following, send users to your website, showcase a video, encourage and track sales on an e-commerce website, and so much more.

    Analytics

    Not only are Facebook’s targeting capabilities advanced, but so are its analytics offerings. Running ads on Facebook is one thing, but making sure they perform well and are resonating with your audience is equally, if not more, important. While we’re used to instant gratification on social media, campaigns must run for at least a couple weeks before we’re able to dive into analytics and determine if they are resonating with our audience or if adjustments need to be made.

    On top of an ad’s results, reach (the number of people your ad was shown to), impressions (the number of times your ad was shown), and clicks, Facebook allows you to dive deep into the actions performed on an ad to make sure its users are getting the ROI they’re looking for.

    Utilizing UTM (urchin tracking module) codes with Facebook ads further allows advertisers to track actions performed on their website once a user has left Facebook through Google Analytics.

    Learn about important website KPIs to measure in Google Analytics in 2019.

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  • A lot can happen in a year. And it did.

    You searched for new era cap – Page 26 of 31 – The Martin Group

    As we approach The Martin Group’s 18th birthday, we’re reflecting on 2018, another year of growth for our agency – and outstanding work with outstanding clients.

    In 2018, we enjoyed our second year at 620 Main Street, our Buffalo headquarters. We celebrated continued growth in our Rochester office which added 12 team members, doubling it’s size. We also expanded into New York State’s Capital Region, with an Albany office in the Times Union building and strategic partnership with Hearst Digital Agency.

    In Buffalo, we received 24 American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards, and 14 Public Relations Society of America Excalibur Awards. In Rochester, we were named one of Rochester’s Best PR Agencies by the Rochester Business Journal, and received two American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards and five Public Relations Society of America PRism Awards. In Albany, we were awarded two Capital Region MARCOM Awards. We also received 36 Healthcare Advertising Awards and three Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts W3 Awards during the last year.

    There were also a number of awards that we consider to be quite special. We were recognized as one of Business First’s Top Private Companies, received a New Office “Brick by Brick” Award, and were awarded a national Public Relations Society of America award, a Silver Anvil, for our “Children’s is Moving” campaign on behalf of the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in downtown Buffalo. And, Lisa Strock, managing director of The Martin Group’s Buffalo office, was named one of Business First’s Women of Influence.

    We are proud of our work and vision to change the way people think through creative, well-executed strategic communications. With 2019 already underway, we invite you to follow along as we share our big ideas and attention to the smallest details.

    Ideas that inspire action, emotion, loyalty. See The Martin Group’s work .

     

     

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  • Follow the Thought Leader: How influencers shape opinions and build brands

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    It’s been an unstoppable trend throughout 2018 and one that shows no signs of slowing in 2019: Influencers. Social media users everywhere with followings both large and small aim to post content that draws in massive engagement by their followers. Brands seek to find those with micro- and macro-influence and that fit their values as potential brand advocates.

    An influencer partnership is a mutually-beneficial relationship: The influencers use brands to amplify their personal stories, and brands use influencers to amplify their brand story.

    Meet two resident influencer experts at The Martin Group, one who engages with influencers to leverage brands and one who is an influencer himself. Senior Brand Manager Pat Sandora-Nastyn and Public Relations & Content Coordinator Cameron Bailey recently spoke at the annual Upstate Social Sessions in Rochester, NY. Now they share their tricks of the trade for influencing.

    On Being an Influencer: Pat Sandora-Nastyn

    When asked to give the keynote speech at this year’s ­­­Upstate Social Sessions in Rochester, New York and talk about running a lifestyle YouTube channel, I was equally honored and terrified at the same time. Yes, I have uploaded more than 300 videos to the web of me, talking about myself, but doing so in an auditorium full of people is completely different. Then, I remembered… The whole reason my husband, Billy, and I started our YouTube channel, Billy & Pat, in 2012 was with the hope that viewers would not only learn something, but also feel a sense of camaraderie with us as we shared our life journey. So, I recaptured that spirit when prepping to speak before hundreds of fellow social-savvy individuals in a sort of mantra: Share your experience and what you’ve picked up along the way, so that others can benefit from the good, the bad, and the embarrassing.

    I can’t recall exactly what I said on stage for those 45 minutes. But I can share my two biggest pieces of advice.

    1. Question your content.

    When creating content—either for yourself or for a brand—there are three questions I propose that you ask yourself about your subject matter:

    Do you like it?

    Is the subject or content you’re creating something you actually like? Are you passionate about it? Does it interest you? If you don’t like the content, your followers aren’t going to like it. It will show and they will know.

    Can you sustain it?

    Do you have the bandwidth and commitment to follow through on your content for a certain length of time? It can take a while for audiences to build social habits and brand loyalty as a follower. It’s really a marathon, and if you start attracting followers because of a specific type of content or subject matter, that’s what they’ll come to expect from you, so make sure you can keep it going.

    Will it be authentic?

    This throws it back a bit to question #1, but if you’re covering subject matter or posting content about something that doesn’t align with your values or vision, people will catch on right away. Just because the kids on the internet love slime videos (Really. They love slime videos!) doesn’t mean you should start posting slime videos. Unless you’re a toymaker or work for Nickelodeon.

    2. Just start!

    A huge hurdle for launching a YouTube channel or any other creative endeavor is not starting the work. Just start! It’s the biggest challenge you’ll overcome, and I always try to remember this motto when thinking of starting something new: “The first will be the worst.”

    The first thing of whatever you do will (hopefully) be the worst one you’ll ever do. We learn as we go and we smooth things out the more we do it. To pinch what my keynote partner, Becki Peckham, told the audience, “practice makes progress.” If you want to get good or better at something, you need to practice and do it. And when it comes to something that’s creative—particularly one that is self-driven—we tend to hold our cards close and stew in our ideas, in the hopes that something absolutely perfect will materialize. Generally, it won’t. So, just know that your first will be the worst, and you’ll get better from what you learn along the way.

     

    On Engaging with Influencers: Cameron Bailey

    Social media stars are on the rise, and as a result, brands are beginning to adjust their plans (and budgets) for marketing, advertising, and PR. Since consumers rarely act on a purchase without further influence, an influencer’s point of view can have a serious impact on financial buying decisions. The ability of social media influencers to be personable can add trust and transparency to further bridge the gap between a brand and its consumers. And the more brands begin to understand the importance of influencers, the more marketing dollars are allocated toward one-off partnerships and long-term relationships with influencers and the audiences that come with them. Here are a few tips for leveraging influencers in a marketing or promotional campaign.

    1. Tell a story

    Storytelling not only makes a post on social media more meaningful and interesting, but it also is more likely to earn engagement. Instead of simply seeding influencers product and asking for a post on their social channels, tell a story. The Martin Group recently launched a new ASICS sneaker and apparel line, DOJO. In our DOJO campaign, influencers told their own stories, filling in the blank of the phrase “_______ is my DOJO” with the various places that inspire them, where they can be themselves, and where they do their best work. For an ASICS Legends Rise campaign, we showcased fashionable influencers, activists, and entrepreneurs who discussed how they built themselves from the ground up.

    2. Understand the power of micro-influencers

    If your budget doesn’t allow for partnerships with influencers boasting impressively high follower counts, consider using micro-influencers. Aside from being cost-effective, micro-influencers typically have higher engagement numbers and their followers find their content more authentic – even their sponsored posts.

    3. Find your niche audience

    The influencer market is becoming increasingly oversaturated, and it may be hard to determine which influencer(s) is best for your brand. But, popularity within the influencer market has also made it a gold mine for reaching your target audiences. The crucial step is to identify the audience you want to reach, in the most detailed way possible. The more you are able to narrow down your audience, the easier it will be to build your prospective influencer list.

    4. Be collaborative

    It may be tempting to write the post for the influencers you engage and choose what day and time they will post, but it’s important to remember that tapping into influencers is a partnership. Work with your influencers to determine what times and days perform best for their audiences and work together to craft copy, so any posts maintain their voice and tone. This will not only create posts that are more authentic, but posts that will perform better. Remember that even though influencers must disclose your joint partnership, it’s important to make the post look as authentic as possible.

    5. Build a relationship

    Sometimes there just isn’t a budget for influencers, and sometimes it’s not needed. Offer what you can – experiences, free products, or even just coffee or a lunch meeting. From the initial meeting, stay in touch and do what you can to build that relationship. This works best with micro-influencers and influencers who already have a connection or interest in your organization. Laying a foundation for that relationship will come in handy in the future.

    Learn more about Pat and Cameron or reach out to Martin Davison Public Relations to learn more about influencer engagement.

     

     

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  • What We’re Thankful For This Year

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    It’s been a great year at The Martin Group. From the growth of our teams in all 3 offices, to Regional and International awards won, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. Without our talented TMG groupies and collaborative and creative clients, we would not be able to accomplish all that we do every day.

    In honor of Thanksgiving, we feel it’s appropriate to list what each of our teammates are thankful for:

    I am thankful for our TMG family and the clients we are so fortunate to serve.
    – Tod Martin, President, Chief Creative Officer

    I am particularly grateful for my husband, family and friends who in tough times have lent an ear, given counsel, contributed objectivity, summoned belly laughs, and cheered me on. I can’t imagine life without these people. Second to that, I feel some serious love for my town of Troy, NY – from the arts, culture, food, and people – there’s no better place to unwind.
    – Jennifer Hunold, Senior Brand Manager

    I’m thankful for my amazing and supportive family and colleagues.  I’m so grateful that I get to work with fun, kind, smart people every day and then go home to my crazy and adorable family…I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂
    – Kate Chokshi, Account Director

    I am thankful to work with such kind, talented people every day who have made moving to Buffalo worth it!
    – Mandy Bly, Digital Project Manager

    I’m thankful for my health – “when you’ve got your health, you’ve got just about everything”.
    And then i get to have these 3 angels in my life.  “Life is GRAND”!
    -Victoria Kopra, Operations Coordinator

    I’m thankful for being blessed with tremendous family and friends.
    – Tim Coppola, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

    I am most thankful for my husband and our two sweet boys.
    – Stefanie Meyers, Staff Accountant

     

    I am thankful to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends.
    – Joseph Phelan, Public Relations Coordinator

    Every year I reflect on what I am thankful for and every year the list keeps growing.  I am so thankful to have a happy life full of family, friends, love and laughter.
    – Krista Sobon, Senior Media Planner

    I’m thankful for these two dweebs :-).
    – Matt Davison, Managing Partner

    I’m thankful for dogs and all the food TMG feeds us, especially the donuts.
    – Dima Maddah, Manager of Social Media and Content

    While I have a lot to be thankful for every year, this year I am especially grateful. I am thankful for an amazing place to work and create alongside wonderful and talented people. I am thankful for an incredible support system of family and friends. I am thankful for my health that allows me to do the things that I love—like running and training. I am thankful for life’s lessons and what they’ve given me this year. But most of all, this turn around the sun, I am thankful for my new fur child Clooney, who has taught me the meaning of unconditional love and that snugs (and life in general) are better with a four-legged BFF.
    – Marilynn Militello, Senior Brand Manager

    I’m thankful to be back in Buffalo and closer to my loved ones. It’s provided the opportunity to play a more active role in the lives of my nieces and nephews, and to spend more than rushed long weekends between trips to the airport with my parents, siblings and extended family.
    – Andrew Scutt, Senior Public Relations Manager

     

    I’m thankful for friends, family, and my dog, Phoebe.
    – Katie Steelman, Proofreader, Copy Editor

    This year, I’m thankful for our firm’s hardworking team, near and far, in Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany!
    – Kelsey Hanks, Public Relations Manager

    I am thankful for every day I have with my family.
    – Lisa Strock, Senior Vice President, Managing Director Buffalo

    I am thankful for living in a country where we can freely worship. I am thankful for a God that forgives me when I am not worthy. I am thankful for my wife of 25 years and my two kids that I am proud to call my friends. I am thankful for my coworkers that make TMG a caring and fun place to work. I am thankful to all of our friends, colleges and clients that keep referring us to others. Almost all of our clients in Rochester have come from this practice. It is truly an honor to grow a business based on trust, friendships and solid relationships.
    – Dion Pender, Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director, Managing Director Rochester

    Thankful for the continued encouragement I get from the dearest friends I have in my life. These friends have turned into family. One day, I hope the dreams they have encouraged me reach for will turn into reality.
    – Rachel Giralico, Senior Art Director

    I’m thankful for the love, strength and joy of family.
    – Robin Needham, Associate Media Director

    Thankful for 6 speed engines, the extra buttons that come sewn inside your shirts, Uber, lane assist, friction hockey tape, find friends app., and good health.
    – Dave Riley, Creative Director

    I’m thankful for my family and our health.
    I’m thankful that I have two healthy, happy children!
    I’m thankful for my dog, who is the sweetest Rottweiler ever – and he’s changing peoples’ minds about this breed!
    I’m thankful for my chickens, who bring me companionship and eggs! (Who knew chickens had personalities?)
    I’m thankful that I was lucky enough to start a new job and join an amazing team 🙂
    -Lesley Ruple, Account Supervisor

        

    I am thankful for my health and that everyone in my family is healthy.
    If you don’t have your health nothing else matters.
    – Lisa Braun, Senior Accountant

    I’m thankful for everything that makes New York State a great place to live, from the rising mountains to our resurgent cities, and from our immense history and inspiring architecture to our Great Lakes. Also, for Moosie — definitely thankful for that scrappy little guy, who should absolutely run for Dog Governor.
    – John Mackowiak, Director, Public Relations & Public Affairs

    I’m thankful for my lovely family, longtime friends, and another year together with both.
    – Mike Farrell, Senior Manager of Content and Social Media

    Last January, my boyfriend and I rescued a dog off of a meat farm in Korea. Up until then, I had no idea such a horrible thing even existed.
    This Thanksgiving, an am extremely thankful for the organization, Jindo Love, for rescuing Goku (and hundreds of other dogs) and for making our little family possible.
    – Jenna Perry, Project Coordinator

    I am thankful that my husband and I will be growing our family in 2019, and are graduating from dog parents to real parents!
    – Kailey Kolozsvary, Public Relations Manager

    I am thankful for chocolate!
    -Alexa Christopher, Vice President, Brand Strategy

    I’m thankful for Levi, who taught me how to turn this into a functional emoji on our agency’s slack.
    – Michael Tsanis, Vice President, Creative Director

    I am thankful that two of my favorites sports teams – the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Sabres – are competitive again!
    – Dick Shaner Jr., Senior Vice President, Martin Davison Public Relations

    I’m thankful for my amazing coworkers and friends, for always making work a blast.
    – Terry Caber, Art Director

    I’m thankful for Beyoncé,  Rupaul’s Drag Race, and Ariana Grande’s ponytail. ❤
    – Cameron Bailey, Public Relations and Content Coordinator

    I’m thankful to have a house full of happy, healthy girls , a roster of clients who collaborate with us on projects that continually push boundaries and set new standards, and a talented group of Martin Group associates who I learn from every day.
    – John Jiloty, Vice President, Social Media and Content

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    The Martin Group

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  • Branding & Identity: Communicating the Value of Place

    You searched for new era cap – Page 26 of 31 – The Martin Group

    Answering the big questions

    Often, we’re tasked with marketing not just the what, but the where. A medical center, for example, is more than just the vital services they provide. It’s the team of dedicated doctors, nurses, surgeons, and others who are entrusted to deliver the necessary care to each patient. And it’s the efficient, clean, and comforting environment in which they do it.

    When an organization’s where is central to the message, the many strategic and creative aspects of its branding should answer: What’s it like to receive care at this facility? To attend this school? To live in this town? To be part of this community?

     

    What’s in a brand?

    When Amherst, NY announced that it would hold a contest to choose a new town slogan, Lisa Strock, The Martin Group senior vice president and an Amherst resident, was intrigued. A municipal slogan should have emotional appeal and should point to something specific that sets the town apart, she told The Buffalo News. “In just a few short words, it’s going to capture the essence of who they are.”

    Strock noted that phrases such as “A Great Place to … ” are highly overused in municipalities. But even though towns (or companies or products) might have things in common (e.g. being great), they can still stand out with a distinctive identity.

    “Sometimes, clients have something completely unique to offer, and we uncover and use it. But sometimes. it’s not as clear,” says The Martin Group vice president and creative director Duane Bombard. “Very few entities have something truly unique about them, but there is nothing wrong with that. At The Martin Group we often say, ‘If you don’t have something unique to say, you better say it uniquely.’”

     

    When where matters most

    The Martin Group strives to understand the unique essence and value of each of our clients and translate those into a brand strategy that works for them. Here are a few examples of clients whose where was the heart of the story, and how we crafted distinct branding to reflect that.

    Kaleida Health – Throughout The Martin Group’s partnership with Kaleida Health, the largest health corporation in Western New York, we have assisted in the branding of several of their exceptional medical facilities. Using interviews to establish the medical center’s core value, we helped conceptualize the name of the Gates Vascular Institute, which spoke to the center’s ability to pump new life into the Buffalo Niagara area. A few years later, The Martin Group created the award-winning “Children’s Is Moving” campaign to engage the community and spread the word about the new name and location of John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital (formerly Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo).

    Charles Finney School – The Charles Finney School faced a lack of name recognition in a competitive private school landscape. With a creative campaign showing prospective students how they can “Be a greater than symbol” and achieve greater things at Finney, The Martin Group helped increase awareness of the school’s outstanding academics, full range of sports and extracurriculars, and welcoming family environment.

    YMCA Buffalo Niagara – YMCA Buffalo Niagara sought a fresh brand expression and a creative campaign that told the Y’s true story—a story that goes beyond swim and gym. The Martin Group built a campaign around the call to action to “Discover the Y in You,” encouraging potential members to look inside themselves, their families, and the Y to explore something new. From billboards to radio spots to digital banners, every campaign piece was charged with emotion and encouraged a deeper connection with this community icon.

    Invest Buffalo Niagara – The Martin Group works with Invest Buffalo Niagara (InBN)—the former Buffalo Niagara Enterprise and Western New York’s leading private sector economic development and business attraction organization—to rally surrogates in support of InBN’s mission to attract businesses to Western New York and to promote the region as a great place to live, work, and grow a business. For example, our team announced the rebrand of the organization from Buffalo Niagara Enterprise to Invest Buffalo Niagara, the release of four reports assessing the region’s labor market, the release of a 90-page Relocation Guide for expats and repats, and, in 2017, the compilation of the Rochester-Buffalo Metro Corridor response in pursuit of Amazon’s second headquarters, HQ2, in collaboration with the Greater Rochester Enterprise.

    Thinking about communicating the value of your place? Let’s talk.

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    The Martin Group

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