Year: 2010

It’s a common marketing misstep to be blinded by your personal views and experiences when planning your marketing campaigns. Business owners and managers often assume that the masses share their habits, and this can lead to poor marketing decisions. When first meeting with new clients or speaking with people at business events, it’s common to … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Use solid data, not your prejudices”

One of the hot new terms to hit the marketing world in the past few years is the “time-starved consumer,” because it captures perfectly the state of many of our lives. Consumers today are overstressed, overwhelmed and overworked, and it seems that everyone — from soccer moms to CEOs — is struggling to balance economic … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Food for thought if you’re starved for time”

Business Newspaper HV BIZ gives company the honor for third consecutive year Goshen, N.Y. – July 24, 2010 – Focus Media, Inc., has been named the Hudson Valley’s largest advertising agency for the third year in a row by business publication HV Biz. “Focus Media has grown strongly during the past few years and 2010 … Continue reading “FOCUS MEDIA NAMED HUDSON VALLEY’S TOP ADVERTISING FIRM”

Becoming an active, visible part of the community is an important part of any company’s marketing program. Board memberships, sponsorships and volunteering all allow businesses and their employees to give something back to the community in ways that benefit a company’s visibility. When considering corporate responsibility and volunteerism, it is important to never lose sight … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Volunteer work builds good will, visibility”

Goshen, N.Y. – Aug. 13, 2010 – Focus Media, Inc. has been named advertising agency of record for Grey’s Woodworks in Grahamsville, N.Y. Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley-based public relations and advertising firm, manages creative and placement of print, Web and broadcast advertisements for Grey’s Woodworks, raising its profile among retailers and consumers throughout … Continue reading “GREY’S WOODWORKS, INC. NAMES FOCUS MEDIA AS AGENCY OF RECORD”

From a marketing perspective, it has been fascinating to watch how the Hudson Valley has evolved over the past 15 years. For starters, according to organizations such as the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., the Hudson Valley region officially includes the seven counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan. But as recently … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Hudson Valley gets foothold”

Becoming a successful entrepreneur isn’t easy. In fact, about half of all new businesses fail. If you’re ignoring the odds and going for it, here are some marketing program tips to leverage for small-business success. Start by getting your brand established. An easy-to-remember name that makes it clear what you sell is important. It’s tough … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Stack your deck for success”

Companies solely focused on selling to other businesses, and not to general consumer audiences, often put all of their promotional resources into sales. They are frequently quick to write off advertising and publicity. That’s usually a mistake. A good marketing program should include investments in both a sales force and advertising. In the business-to-business model, … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Business sales benefit from ads, too”

Focus Media to manage public relations for Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union’s financial planning division Goshen, N.Y. – July 29, 2010 – HVFCU Financial Services has named Focus Media Inc., a leading Hudson Valley-based public relations and advertising firm, its public relations agency of record. Focus Media will provide public relations services designed to elevate … Continue reading “HVFCU FINANCIAL SERVICES NAMES FOCUS MEDIA AGENCY OF RECORD”

Making the investment in advertising, building and maintain a Web site and developing collateral, like brochures, are worthy investments. Professional design of these marketing elements is important. But great marketing pieces all start with the right message. We’re inundated by thousands of messages per day. Your ads have to stand out to get noticed. So, … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Make messages relevant”

Joining a business group such as a chamber of commerce or membership-based economic development organization can be a great move for your business. Simply joining these groups can provide many benefits, such as special rates on insurance coverage and referrals. But if you want to leverage these memberships to grow your business, it’s important to … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Chamber membership smart investment”

Goshen, N.Y. – July 15, 2010 – Focus Media, Inc., a leading Hudson Valley-based public relations and advertising firm, has been selected as advertising agency of record by Combined Energy Services (CES). CES, which started as a one-truck business, is now one of the largest gas and oil suppliers in the region, providing dependable propane … Continue reading “COMBINED ENERGY SERVICES NAMES FOCUS MEDIA AGENCY OF RECORD”

I’ve always been of the mind that well-run political campaigns are on the forefront of the latest in effective research, branding, marketing, publicity and social media strategies. While creating general awareness through television, print and radio are important components for many campaigns, the marriage between research and the targeted marketing in politics is intriguing. Political … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Politicians’ campaigns show marketing genius in action”

Your brand is not necessarily your own. Imagine comparing your reaction to seeing the BP logo a year ago to how you would respond today after the environmental disaster the company created. And I bet the warm-and-fuzzy feeling a Tiger Woods picture gave you last year likely gives you a different feeling now. BP and … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Controlling brand takes effort”

Granted it might not happen every day, but many of us have, at some point, been so touched by a television commercial that it moved us to tears. That’s pretty amazing for a 30-to 60-second advertisement. I bet an Internet advertisement or piece of direct mail never had the same effect on you. Last week, … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Do TV commercials right – or not at all”

The other night I was doing my part and sitting through a dreadful television show my wife couldn’t wait to see. I don’t think I was exactly the target demographic the TV producers had in mind for this particular show. A commercial break came on, and in rolled the advertisements for products such as fabric … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: TV advertising reaches your target audience”

The Great Recession may be over, but it will continue to impact how we think, and rethink, our business strategy for years, even for the remainder of our careers. One thing that certainly did test us during the recession was change, and how we communicated it. While change done strategically can create better efficiencies and … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Internal communication crucial”

Staying on message is one of the most fundamental rules of any type of external and internal communications. IBM repeated the word “excellence” in its advertising during the 1980s until the lines became part of pop culture. Martin Luther King Jr. repeated “I have a dream” in his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in … Continue reading “Focus on Marketing: Consistent message is key to garnering support”