“People who get their feet wet must learn to take their medicine.” Sage words from Mary Poppins. Indubitably, Mary would love the new Pop-Ins Umbrella Share program in downtown Oklahoma City… no spoonful of sugar required!   “The concept for the program was really born out of necessity,” says Tim Berney, president of VI Marketing and Branding.

Smart marketers know that the best way to drive your message home is to make it stick with your target market. And, when your target audience is 5 and under, nothing sticks like a Big Bird sticker!   “The kids are BIG fans of the decals,” said Chase Harvick, Communications Coordinator for OETA, The Oklahoma PBS affiliate.

Being hit with a freak ice storm in the middle of April might make it hard to remember that it’s actually spring. However, the sun is out today, the ice is long gone and the ‘Boys of Summer’ are taking over The Brick tonight for their first home game of the season. That’s right, baseball season is upon us, but the RedHawks game is just one part of the evening’s festivities!

March Madness is upon us… Alley-Oops, charity stripes, Cinderella stories and more. College basketball. It’s hard to resist this kind of excitement, and the smart marketers at Southern Nazarene University are capturing some of the buzz with their own “rock”.

“We want to build a company store for our employees so they can buy our products. And, we want to mark up the price a bit to offset the cost of the store.” From a 20,000-foot perspective, this sounds like a sound business strategy. Unfortunately, in our 21 years in the business, we have found that less than 5% of your employees will actually pay to wear your brand.

Each January, the Oklahoma City chapter of the American Marketing Association kicks off the new year with a meeting focused on helping their members improve some aspect of their business in the year ahead. It’s a perfect fit for this time of resolutions and self-improvement. In 2013, however, the chapter really stepped it up by bringing in Paul Roetzer, CEO of PR 20/20 and author of The Marketing Agency Blueprint, for a half-day seminar.

When a good cause and strategic marketing come together to support each other, everyone benefits. Smart marketers know the value of supporting their favorite non-profit organizations, and savvy fund-raisers like the folks at White Fields know how to maximize their sponsor’s impact. Every fall, SandRidge Energy hosts the White Fields Invitational, the signature fund-raising event for the boys’ home.

All prospects are created equally, right? Well… not exactly. The truth is that some companies are more likely to buy more of what you’re selling, so you are willing to invest a little more in making sure they remember you.

The key to smart marketing through team and event sponsorships is to find a cause that resonates with your audience… and then make a connection that can’t be missed. That’s exactly what ProCure did in Somerset, NJ, with the 2012 “Riding to Promote Prostate Cancer Awareness” Bike-A-thon. What’s cool, though, is that they didn’t simply pay to have their logo put on event signage, they entered their own team!

While the official slogan of the MarketingProfs’ 6th annual B2B Forum was “This is not your father’s B2B”, most of the attendees would agree that the “B2B Badass” shirts and buttons might have been more appropriate for these smart marketers! “MarketingProfs is all about making marketers smarter – and better – at what they do,” says Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer. “We’re a marketer’s secret weapon!” Perhaps not as big a secret as Ann lets on.

“What's the best way to get a bunch of busy marketers to a Halloween themed party?” asked Kevin Jessop, president of the AMAOKC. “Send them an insanely spooky and creative invitation! And, with ROBYN’s help, that's exactly what we did.”

Every August, hundreds of people make the trek to the Dundee Hills in northwest Oregon in search of the good life. Gold seekers? Not really.

When it comes to getting a company’s name in front of the “right” person every day for an entire year, leave it to the award-winning marketing team at Express Employment Professionals to find a way. Calendars.Yep… You’ve done them and you’ve received them. Year after year, they continue to be one of the best-selling self-promotion items across the country, and do you know why?

Each August, the Oklahoma City chapter of the American Marketing Association kicks off its fiscal year with a new president, renewed energy from the summer siesta and a new theme to carry them through the next 11 months. This year, the board wants to help their members become “smarter marketers”… aka Smarketers! “Smarketing relates to everyone who is linked to AMAOKC,” says Kevin Jessop, president of the chapter and CEO of Evolve Research.

This week, members of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce will be traveling to Louisville, KY, for the 2012 American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) convention. They aren’t going alone, though. They are taking 800 pieces of enticement with them to show chamber members from across the country why they should attend the 2013 convention… in Oklahoma City!

In a city as spread out as Oklahoma City, a car is certainly a necessity. Owning a car, however, is quickly become optional, though, thanks to TIMECAR. “TIMECAR is a membership-based car sharing service that provides 24/7 access to vehicles on an hourly and daily basis across Oklahoma and Texas,” says Benny Jacobs, owner of the car sharing company.

  “I need something for our big event next month. What do you suggest?” While most promotional products companies will immediately start showing the newest coffee mug or latest style of pen, the creative marketers at ROBYN stop to ask a few questions first. What is your objective?

  It’s been said that smell is the most powerful sense. Just one whiff of a familiar scent can bring back a wave of memories from the darkest recesses of your mind… And you can’t help it. It just happens.

Martha Stewart once said that the way a gift is wrapped is just as important as the gift itself. We couldn’t agree more! At ROBYN, we strive each day to Surprise & Delight our clients, and one of the best ways we have found to do that is to not just give a gift, but to make it an event by wrapping the gift in beautiful papers and bows to make it truly special.

Competition is tough in every industry, and finding the talent to keep a company competitive is an ongoing challenge. Each year, SandRidge Energy visits college campuses across Oklahoma and neighboring states in search of the brightest minds to help fuel their future.   Each spring and fall, the SandRidge recruiters hit the road to attend career fairs at universities throughout the region to talk with students majoring in engineering, IT, accounting and other business specialties ...

Direct mail is boring, wasteful and worthless, right? WRONG! When done well, direct mail campaigns can create magic.