Paulsen Marketing On the Road Blog

Relating to Relationships

greg.guse@paulsenmarketing.com (Greg Guse) — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:42:50 CDT

Guest blogging is Shannon McCoy, copywriter.

I have mixed feelings when it comes to technology. It has improved the way we keep in touch, advanced our businesses, added convenience to our lives. But in this age of email, texting and tweeting, I feel it has also eliminated the human aspect of our relationships. No longer do we need to pick up the phone to check on a friend, we just get out our smart phones and check for a status update. Rarely is there a human voice on the other end of the line when we make a call. It can be simple and convenient. But I often wonder if something is missing.

Recently I was given the opportunity here at Paulsen Marketing to hit the road for a couple days worth of video shoots. My role was to discover why customers enjoyed working with one of our clients. And what I discovered is that old fashioned service with a smile and handshake is alive and well.

I met people who believe the key to success is human relationships, developing those relationships and then delivering service that helps their customers be successful. Real conversations, face-to-face meetings, lunch together in the local café, sharing a cup of coffee.

Don’t get me wrong. Technology certainly has its place, as well. The individuals I spoke with are accessible to their customers. Taking calls, responding to emails and answering questions. And when they don’t have the answers, finding them quickly. They’re proud of this business model. In a day and age where technology is changing so much, so quickly, they’re taking the time to pause and remember the men and women using their products.

I’m as guilty as the next person, sending my sister a text instead of picking up the phone and calling her. Firing my mom an email instead of actually putting a stamp on a letter and sending it off. And that’s why trips like this are so important to us here at Paulsen Marketing, as well. It gets us out of the office and face-to-face with the people we partner with. It’s a value we share. Human interaction is priceless and I’m inspired to know that it continues to be at the root of what we do.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth

greg.guse@paulsenmarketing.com (Greg Guse) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:08:07 CDT

Guest blogging today is Clara Jacob, creative director.

After eight days and over 2,000 miles of windshield time, I can say unequivocally that certain aspects of agriculture are alive and kicking.

Paulsen, along with Passenger Productions, drove to Lexington, Kentucky, to shoot video for a feed manufacturer client.

At Keeneland we shot morning exercises, racing and a two-year-old sale, where horses were commanding upwards of $300,000. We visited thoroughbred and standardbred farms, the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center for reschooling adoptable racehorses and Kentucky Riding for Hope. (We also enjoyed temperatures in the high 70s while folks at home were slammed by the ice storm of the century.)

While the racing industry is facing challenges, the equine sector itself is going strong. Within the growing rural lifestyle market, horses are a key part of what people want.

Farther north, we interviewed several families who board horses for travelers and city dwellers. We met people who train horses and another family that operates a Cowboy Mounted Shooting facility.

And in Shipshewanna, Ohio, we saw horses in a completely different role—as transportation. It’s an area with a large population of Amish and Mennonite communities where every third “vehicle” in town is a horse and buggy.

Horses are a unique part of agriculture and an economic driver. While we did see areas ravaged by economic downturn, we also saw communities and businesses that were alive and kicking.

While it’s hard to say why some areas flourish and others don’t, I suspect it has something to do with the ability of people to adapt. Maybe horses are like the canary in the coal mine when it comes to agriculture. Because discovering innovative ways to create an income stream using horses looks a lot like finding creative new ways to respond to changes in the agricultural economy.

A racehorse at Keeneland gets a bath after its morning workout.

Awards and Employee Accolades Accent a Night at the ADDYs for Paulsen Marketing

greg.guse@paulsenmarketing.com (Greg Guse) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:08:39 CDT

Guest blogging today is Krystil Smit, public relations director.

When it comes to awards, the only thing more satisfying than seeing client work recognized is when one of your own dedicated employees is honored, and that was the case for Paulsen Marketing at the South Dakota Advertising Federation’s 47th annual ADDY Awards Show.

Paulsen celebrated an honored colleague and accepted three awards at the ADDYs held March 15 in Sioux Falls.

Paulsen’s top award of the night was a Gold ADDY for a 60-second TV commercial produced on behalf of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council titled, “Feed The World.”

Paulsen won two Silver ADDYs as well – one in the Digital Advertising, Tablet Category for the Raven Product Guide App that Paulsen produced for Raven Industries (available from iTunes and Google Play); and another in the Elements of Advertising, Illustration category for Cooperative Credit’s 2012 Annual Report.

Several Paulsenites were in attendance to support colleague Janet Andersen as she received the 2012 Creative Legacy Award.

In 2005 the South Dakota Advertising Federation developed the Creative Legacy Award as a way to recognize individuals in the local advertising community who have set the standard for creative accomplishment within the industry, achieved an impressive body of work in their career and serve as a mentor or inspiration to co-workers.

With over 30 years in the Sioux Falls area advertising industry, Janet has been integral to the progress and successful growth of communications in the region. She is a senior project manager at Paulsen and works one-on-one with clients as an account executive while also managing projects internally. Because of Janet’s deep experience in graphics and production, she’s able to offer valuable insights to key agency clients and bridge the communications gap between account service and creative.

Our agency produced a special video to commemorate Janet’s Creative Legacy Award.

Congratulations Janet!

Ag Day Activities Give New Meaning to Importance of Agriculture

greg.guse@paulsenmarketing.com (Greg Guse) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:17:23 CDT

Greetings from our nation's Capitol where I've had the fascinating experience of joining a host of leaders representing agriculture and agribusiness in celebrating numerous Ag Day festivities.

First, our friends at Agri-Pulse sponsored a very insightful panel discussion featuring three accomplished economists sharing their predictions for the ag outlook in 2013. Two key take-aways: the global demand to feed a growing world population will continue to drive demand for our ag production. Secondly, here at home the interest in food and its sources, preparation and quality continues to grow in importance and popularity. I was surprised to learn that nearly half of all meals are consumed out of home and that there are nearly one million restaurants now existing in the U.S. today.

Overall, these economists agree, the ag outlook continues to be bright, of course, assuming that weather and world economics/politics remain stable. Over 300 people attended the Agri-Pulse event and it was great to see some familiar faces as well as make some new connections.

I also had the good fortune to attend “The New Language of Food and Modern Agriculture,” a very impressive presentation by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. New consumer research was presented that indicates consumers are more concerned and more vocal about their food choices than ever before. This research also indicates that our ag industry has a lot of work to do in better communicating with consumers to directly and transparently address their concerns regarding food safety and quality, animal welfare and environmental issues.

Fortunately, the Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, made up of over 80 different ag producers organizations, is listening and responding to these consumer concerns about their food sources. It's good to see so many diverse producer groups band together with a common purpose, to proactively and carefully listen to consumer concerns and engage in an on-going dialogue. It's healthy for both consumers of food and producers of food to reach a higher level of understanding and engagement.

Finally, I attended the 40th annual Ag Day banquet, sponsored in part by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack was the keynote speaker. He provided some interesting statistics indicating what a low overall percentage of the total USDA budget deals directly with agricultural production and research.

I have to say that I'm a little embarrassed that after a 35-year career in agri-marketing, this is the first National Ag Day celebration that I've attended. It's been a tremendous learning experience and so enjoyable to re-connect with many ag professionals in our industry.

I highly recommend that everyone in our industry should invest the time and effort to participate in National Ag Day activities.

My only wish is that I had made this trip sooner!

Ag Day on Capitol Hill

U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Capitol Hill Briefing on the New Language of Food and Modern Agriculture

Orion Samuelson introduces Congressman Frank Lucas, Oklahoma, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee

Paulsen Clients Shine at Region III NAMA Awards

greg.guse@paulsenmarketing.com (Greg Guse) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:08:02 CDT

I hope you don’t mind if I boast a little.

I try hard not to make boastfulness or arrogance one of my personal characteristics. I’m more comfortable taking a low-key, understated approach. At least I hope that’s how I appear to others.

But after our agency’s showing at the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Region III Best of NAMA awards in Des Moines, I just have to say how proud I am of our employees, our work and, most of all, our clients for winning five Merit Awards and nine First Place Awards. (Not to mention the Best of Show—Advertising award for a series of television commercials created for the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council.)

One of the reasons I’m so gratified by these awards is that they represent seven different Paulsen clients who have placed their trust and confidence in us to tell their stories on their behalf. Another reason is that several of these companies have never been recognized with a NAMA Award before. And better yet, our 14 awards and Best of Show award touch absolutely every one of our 34 Paulsen employees in one way or another.

In other words, it was indeed an overall team effort, both internally among our talented employees and externally in a collaborative effort with our client partners. That’s what makes this year’s regional NAMA Award results feel so darn good.

Here’s another reason these awards mean so much to us. Nearly 200 entries in 61 Advertising and Public Relations categories were judged. These entries represent the best and brightest agricultural agencies, companies and associations to be found in Region III, which covers North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Some of the biggest names in agri-business enter their work in this competition. And the quality and creativity of this work just gets better and better each year.

OK, OK, enough boasting—time to come back to earth. I fully realize that advertising awards need to be kept in the proper context and perspective. The work must accomplish the sales or marketing objective to be deemed truly successful.

But when an ad or a website or a TV commercial really stands out because of its uniqueness or creativity, AND achieves its intended objectives, AND is recognized by our industry for excellence, well I guess that’s worth bragging about.

Well, at least a little bit, anyway.

Check out the full list:

Agency clients receiving First Place Awards and the award category include:

AgStar Financial Services—Local Multi-Media Campaign
South Dakota Corn Utilization Council—Producer Funded Advertising Campaign
South Dakota Corn Utilization Council—Television, Single or Series
Hubbard Feeds, Inc.—Point of Purchase Materials
Valley Queen Cheese—Public Relations, Media Relations
Wheat Growers Cooperative—Public Relations, Company/Association Newsletters
AgStar Financial Services—Public Relations, Annual Reports
Hubbard Feeds, Inc.—Internet Website, Educational Focus
Hubbard Feeds, Inc.—Specialty Advertising Campaign

Merit Awards and the award categories went to:

Wheat Growers Cooperative—Local Multi-Media Campaign
Kubota Tractor Corporation—New Product Introduction
Midwestern BioAg—Customer Brochures/Catalogs
Ag United for South Dakota—Corporate Identity
South Dakota Corn Utilization Council—Producer Funded PR Campaign to Consumers

Best of Show, Advertising—South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, “Farmers Feeding the World” television series

Representing Paulsen: Sara Steever, Janet Andersen, Greg Guse, Clara Jacob, Marnie Graham, Mark Smither, Krystil Smit, Jordin Mueller, Jon Marohl and Kristi Moss.