BancorpSouth is in the midst of a small-business blitz: It is training hundreds of employees—from branch managers to commercial loan officers—on how to make sales calls and running a commercial on television and online to let business owners know what it has to offer.

One way the commercial tries to grab attention is by showing the action from an unusual perspective: It’s as if the viewer is looking over the shoulder of someone using an iPad.

In the 30-second spot, the screen starts out completely black. Then, a couple of hands appear and begin clicking and tapping to create images, expand windows and move icons around, much like one does on an iPad.

“All of this ties into touchscreen technology, obviously with the tablets that are out there these days. We thought that was kind of a cool approach,” says Randy Burchfield, director of corporate marketing for the $13.5 billion-asset bank in Tupelo, Miss.

The commercial is one of four in BancorpSouth’s advertising campaign. Each one focuses on a different topic, such as personal banking or wealth management. But they all use the same approach, focusing on a pair of busy hands.

“What if you could create a bank that’s just right for your business?” a voiceover asks in the small-business spot, as a woman’s hand does a quick tap to make a check appear.

A scanner pops up, and she drags the check to it. Accompanying the action, the voiceover plugs “easy-to-use business tools to manage your cash flow, like Express Deposit.”

Then she moves an image of a banker to the center of the screen and clicks a phone icon as if she’s going to call him via Skype. Here the voiceover talks about “a special relationship with a banker, who can make decisions locally, quick and customized for you.”

Stone Ward, an ad agency in Little Rock, Ark., created the campaign. The creative concept, with the hands moving as if operating a tablet computer, arose from the idea of customizing the banking experience, says Lindsey Ingram, an account manager for the agency. “It was like you were playing with a touchscreen tablet. You kind of just pick and choose your photos and you build it the way that you want it, and everything’s simple.”

The high-tech theme has the added benefit of helping the bank appear progressive, Ingram says.

The bulk of exposure for the small-business spot is actually not on television, but online. It appears on sites frequented by business owners, including Bloomberg.com and CNN.com.

The campaign also includes banner ads that link to a special landing page with short videos about the bank’s small-business products.

Mandy Mitchell, retail banking sales manager for BancorpSouth, says the effort includes specialized training for about 400 employees. In a two-day workshop, they ran simulated small businesses to gain a better understanding of the challenges that owners face. A new phase of the training will focus on figuring out which businesses to pursue and how to get time with the owners.

Patrick Dugan, associate creative director at Adams & Knight in Avon, Conn., says he likes the imagery in the BancorpSouth commercials. “It’s refreshing from the standpoint of you’re not just seeing the typical inside of a bank.”

He also likes that each one uses a different person’s hands and voice to represent various lifestyles. For example, the wealth management spot features a male who is of retirement age.

“I think it is a smart move, because they all kind of look the same,” Dugan says. “The different voices and the different hands sort of help avoid the pitfall of someone thinking they’ve seen that ad already.”

The current buzz around touchscreen tablets works to BancorpSouth’s advantage too, he says.

Of course, there is a risk that such imagery could start to feel “gimmicky” fast, Dugan says.

“But it doesn’t feel like that now, because I don’t feel like I’ve seen a lot of it.”

Click for US Banker Article

So much of the talk these days is about how marketers must adapt to survive in our new digitally driven world. And CMOs are certainly listening. In fact, a recent IBM study of global CMOs found that over 60% expect to continue increasing their interactive/online spending and decrease their allocation to traditional advertising.

No doubt, it’s a brave new world. But the brands that will truly rule in this new world order won’t be led by digital gurus. They’ll be championed by marketing visionaries who advance “interactive” marketing to a new level — where a fusion of tactics powers a new era in brand building.

That advancement to “fusion marketing” will require marketers to stop trailing after digital crazes as well as to move beyond the stereotypes of integrated marketing communications. Here’s what it will take for you to lead your organization in this new cosmos.

1. Beyond “multiple touchpoints” to seamless connections. Too many marketers still plan and measure singular “transactions.” For example: How many people watch the program? Read the magazine? Click the banner? Follow you on Twitter? But today, emails drive people to websites where they watch “TV spots” that drive them to Facebook pages that link to feature articles published in magazines whose ads feature QR codes that take you to YouTube videos.

That requires a new type of marketing planning, one that doesn’t list each tactic on a separate line in the campaign spreadsheet.  Today we need organic strategists — those who can analyze each medium’s specific strengths and synthesize how they can best work together to turn emotion into motion. So stop viewing social media or any media as a “tactic” and recognize it as just another channel in the surround-sound that’s essential to reaching today’s B2B as well as B2C audiences.

2. Beyond Web analytics to integrated analytics. So much of the shift to digital marketing has been driven by the panic to prove ROI. But just because digital marketing is more measurable doesn’t mean it’s more effective on its own. With all the noise in the Websphere, one timeless marketing principle is more timely than ever: People won’t want to talk to you unless they know of you. So if you’re serious about pursuing the new holy grail of “brand engagement,” you’ll also need to be smart about deploying public relations and “traditional” advertising in a fresh way to build brand awareness. And together, we all need to demand—and to develop—better ways of measuring those integrated marketing results than just clicks, likes, fans or followers.

3. Beyond standing out to standing for something. Of course, getting people to know your brand is only the first step. Getting them to care about it takes building trust — something in very short supply these days.  So brands need to be more than memorable. They need to be admirable. That means organizations need to stand for something. And marketers need to reach across the organization to work with those involved in community relations, customer relations, human relations, and every other kind of relations to collaborate on building—and living—the brand.

These are just a few examples of the new levels of fusion thinking that will characterize the next generation of marketing leaders.

Click for CommPRO.biz Article

Jill Adams has built her business by helping others build theirs. So ask this CEO of her own integrated marketing communications firm what she’s most proud of, and she rattles off the results Adams & Knight has helped others generate. Like a 31 percent increase in checking accounts. Or a rise in patient volumes seven times the national average. Or a 340 percent boost in Web traffic.

Making things work has always been Adams’s passion…even back when she and her partner Bill Knight were running Adams & Knight out of a cramped attic studio. Both were industry veterans, with experience in successful ad agencies and corporate marketing departments. That was after Adams’s initial stint in one of the most high-stress, high-stakes environments, a congressman’s office on Capitol Hill.

When the team went out on their own in 1988, their dream was to create a silo-free culture where savvy strategies inspired creative solutions. In 2007, they even built their own “hothouse” for these ideas — an environment that’s been featured in CNN.com, the Saturday Evening Post and Fast Company.

Adams & Knight now attracts talented staffers as well as national clients, many of whom are leaders in financial services and health care. Adams & Knight has also gained the attention of numerous industry associations, including the American Marketing Association, whose Connecticut chapter has named the agency Marketer of the Year for five of the last six years.

Key Principles Drive Marketing Success

At Adams & Knight, the strategies are as creative as the work. “Creativity is so much more than clever slogans, eye-popping graphics or cool technology,” says Adams, whose “no fluff” philosophy sets her apart in an industry that often sacrifices results for style.

“We believe there are key principles that are absolutely essential to marketing success,” she says. The firm runs SparkStorm workshops to help C-suite execs agree on a shared vision of success and how it will be measured. That leads to a clear prioritization of audiences and strategic insights into how to turn their emotion into motion. From there, the firm develops a 360-degree engagement plan, which can encompass everything from advertising and public relations to all kinds of Internet and social media connections. Then it produces relevant yet unexpected creative that stands out by standing for something that truly matters to the target audiences.

“What we really specialize in are big ideas that are reinforced at every touchpoint,” explains Adams. “Our specialists get together as a team to develop and implement a cohesive plan for our clients. As a result, their audiences get a consistent message — and they get measurable results.”

Click for Forbes article

Adams & Knight, Inc., an integrated marketing communications agency, announces the addition of Chief Business Development Officer Felicia Lindau. Lindau will focus on continuing the agency’s rapid growth, particularly in the financial services, healthcare and consumer services sectors.

Lindau’s appointment to the executive team comes at a time of increasing demand for the agency’s strengths in driving measurable results through a strategic blend of advertising, public relations, and digital and social marketing initiatives. Over the past five years, the East Coast-based marketing agency has increased its staff by 50 percent and recently expanded its creative offices, which have been featured in the Saturday Evening Post and Fast Company and on CNN.com (http://www.adamsknight.com/tour.html).

“Felicia knows how to help emerging leaders grow their business. That experience will be extremely valuable not only to our agency, but to our clients,” said Jill Adams, CEO of Adams & Knight. At Adams & Knight, Lindau is charged with bringing on mid-market clients who are looking for a strategic marketing partner to help them take their organizations to the next level.

Prior to joining Adams & Knight, Lindau held leadership roles on the agency teams that helped launch Amazon.com, Excite.com and MSN and that fueled momentum for MasterCard and Compaq. Her career has taken her from Dallas to San Francisco and New York City, where she worked with such leading agencies as FCB, Ammirati & Puris, Inc., Anderson & Lembke, Inc. and TracyLocke. She also founded and eventually sold Sparks.com, a highly successful e-commerce company.

Throughout her career, Lindau has been quoted in Forbes, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on brand-building and e-commerce. She has also appeared on The Today Show, CNN and NPR, and has been a guest lecturer at Stanford Business School.

The research NewAlliance Bank did for its new branding effort showed that people are far more engaged in banking than they ever have been before.

“They’re paying more attention,” both to their personal spending and to the financial industry itself, says Nancy Benben, director of marketing communications for the $8.4 billion-asset bank in New Haven, Conn. “They’re looking more closely at their statements. They’re reading up on how their bank is doing. They’re listening to the media about what’s happening in the industry.”

This all bodes well for NewAlliance, which is highly capitalized and eager to make loans. And with people being so attuned, its advertising campaign, which had a splashy Super Bowl debut in the bank’s home state, is even more likely to get noticed.

Called “Do Your Thing,” the campaign depicts stories from the perspective of people who could be typical customers, all making big changes in their lives. “They are the heroes of the campaign,” Benben says. “Our goal, our promise to ourselves and our customers, is about how we enable them to thrive. These ads are an expression of that.”

The upbeat song that plays throughout its four television spots is an anthem to personal empowerment. Each opens with the lyrics, “Be yourself. No one else. Do your thing. Do your own thing,” as a montage of scenes rolls by.

One spot shows a woman at home, day and night, focused on her computer screen or huddled over a book. In the background, her husband vacuums, folds laundry and brings her coffee.

“Do something you’ve always dreamed of doing,” a male voice-over says. “While you may have to work at it, you don’t have to do it alone. NewAlliance will be right there by your side,” with people ready to help and money to lend, no matter the goal.

Even “important redecorating,” he says, as the woman hangs her diploma on a wall, smiling husband next to her.

Adams & Knight in Avon, Conn., created the campaign, which also includes a Web site redesign, along with print, radio, outdoor and online components. In choosing stories to present, Jill Adams, the agency’s president, says she wanted partly to highlight situations where people need help, but might not think of going to a bank. The intent is to convey that banks are not just for savings accounts, but also advice.

Mike Moyers, creative director at BLF Marketing in Nashville, Tenn., gives the campaign high marks. Though “very polished,” the ads feel fun and down-to-earth, he says. “I think it does a good job of being folksy yet sophisticated.”

The jingle in the television spots is particularly good, and cleverly underscores the ‘do’ theme, Moyers says. “They do a lot of ‘do-do, do-do, do-do.’ I thought that was a really nice touch.”

The print ads also have some distinctive elements. Instead of tucking the disclosures at the bottom, they are at the top. And in an ad for mortgages, the headline-”Doable”-is vertical.

David Hoke, a partner at BLF, says the “Do Your Thing” theme-which is also NewAlliance’s new tag line-is appealing. He likes that NewAlliance even incorporated the concept into its Web site. Visitors to the site get asked “Ready to do your thing?” They can choose from a menu of personal or business goals.

Hoke says the ads also do a good job of engaging people emotionally.

That is exactly what Adams and Benben wanted. “Banks have not been as effective as they need to be in really connecting to the emotional drivers for customers. It isn’t all about this rational analysis of fees,” Adams says. “Ultimately, you really gain customer loyalty when you can connect to the things that matter most to them. I think that’s what this campaign-and this bank-really do well.”

Click for US Banker Article

When Fox 61 News wanted the inside scoop on the 2010 Super Bowl advertising, they huddled with Adams & Knight and NewAlliance Bank. In three segments aired live from Adams & Knight headquarters in Avon, CT, Fox 61 reporter Jeff Valin queried the team on what makes for effective spots and discussed the agency’s new “Do Your Thing” campaign for NewAlliance Bank that premiered during the big game.

Please click the ‘play’ buttons below to view the videos from the Fox 61 newscast.

Patrick Dugan, Associate Creative Director for Adams & Knight, talks about the latest Super Bowl advertising trends.
[See post to watch Flash video]

Don Carter, Creative Director for Adams & Knight, and Eric Panke, Art Director, discuss what makes for good Super Bowl spots.
[See post to watch Flash video]

Mark Gibson, Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer for NewAlliance Bank, provides a sneak peek at their new “Do Your Thing” campaign.
[See post to watch Flash video]

About NewAlliance Bank
NewAlliance Bank is a New Haven, Connecticut headquartered regional banking and financial services company. It is the third largest bank in Connecticut and fourth largest headquartered in New England. In addition to offering a full range of personal and commercial banking products and services, NewAlliance Bank also provides trust services and investment and insurance products and services. On December 31, 2009 the Company had $8.43 billion in assets and $5.02 billion in deposits. The Bank’s website is www.newalliancebank.com.

To download the full article, “Lobbying Efforts: Inside the Grandest Entrances in America,” as featured in the April 2009 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, please click here.

Jill Adams was selected as one of the Hartford region’s Remarkable Women in Business by the Hartford Business Journal . Eight women were selected from the Hartford area who excel in leadership positions and stand as examples of excellence in their industries. Jill was honored before 300 at a reception on May 8th at the Hartford Hilton.

Hartford Business Journal

March 24, 2008

Name: Jill Adams

Occupation: President, Adams & Knight.

Location of Business: 80 Avon Meadow La., Avon.

Adams is president and majority owner of Adams & Knight, an integrated marketing communications agency in Avon. Established in 1988, the company is one of the largest women owned businesses in the state. Adams grew up in Kansas City, Mo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in communications from Boston University. She was named Marketer of the Year by Connecticut’s chapter of the American Marketing Association for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Adams & Knight was recognized by CareerBuilder.com on CNN. com as a company that provides excellent perks, along with others such Google and Goldman Sachs.

Who is your most influential role model and why?

My most influential role models are my parents who both passed on very different, but complementary skills. My mother had an uncanny ability to read people. She taught me how to quickly size up a situation and alter my approach based on that read. My father continues to teach me the importance of never giving up. He instilled in me that I could do anything I put my mind to, as long as I was unwilling to accept defeat, however I defined (or redefined) that. So by combining these two lessons, I’ve come to believe that if I’m perceptive enough and persistent enough (some might say stubborn enough!), I can find a way around any obstacle and toward any goal.

Why are you good at what you do?

In my role as both a business owner as well as one of our agency’s chief marketing communication strategists, I need to be good at both the 30,000-foot strategic thinking as well as the on-the-ground tactical execution. Our clients want “big” ideas. They need ever more innovative ways to get their message out to the right target audience using an array of communication tools. But those strategies can only drive results if we’re good at the execution. So I need to be able to mobilize our team to get things done as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Fortunately, I have a passion for both brainstorming the ideas as well as driving the results.

Professionally, what has been your greatest victory? Your biggest defeat?

I’m proud of many of our business’ accomplishments. But I get no greater satisfaction than looking around at our many talented, caring, fun employees who pull together every day to get things done for our clients. It’s a humbling responsibility…knowing that these people are investing so much of their lives in helping us grow this business. Building this team has been my greatest accomplishment.

My biggest defeat was doing a fabulous job for one of our favorite clients, then not being able to “win over” new management and ultimately losing the account. It was such a heartbreaker to know that even though the results had been outstanding, that wasn’t enough to earn a shot with the new management.

When the stress level gets too high, what’s your secret remedy?

The best stress relievers in the world are my two dogs. I’m so fortunate that they get to come to work with me every day. It’s definitely one of the biggest perks of owning our own business. They never fail to make me laugh.

How have you tried to balance your career and your personal life? Is there an example or two you can share?

That’s a constant struggle. What works best for me is scheduling time do things that take me out of my day-to-day world and give me an opportunity to experience new things with friends and family. Like going to One-Day University, where my husband and I get to hear from great professors across all kinds of disciplines, which always inspires great conversations afterwards. Or buying season’s passes to Hartford Stage and the Connecticut Forum, where we love being exposed to new art, new ideas. Or going to cooking class, something I’m not very good at, but have fun trying.

What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

Our business is growing, so I do interview a lot of people. And I’m surprised how many younger people focus on what they’re going to “get” out of a job. They ask about the salary, the bonuses, the vacation time, the title, etc. Don’t get me wrong…all that IS important. But ultimately I see that employees are most satisfied by what they have the opportunity to “give” to their job. So I encourage young people to really think about the special talents they have…and then look for a career, a job, an employer where they’ll have the best opportunity to use those talents and be appreciated for them. A place where they can contribute to something greater than themselves. That’s when you’ll love your career.

Adams & Knight was recently featured in an article on CNN.com about companies across the country, big and small, that are keeping their employees happy. The agency was listed alongside Google and Goldman Sachs.

As seen on CNN.com.

‘Kidnap Day,’ Beer, massages among job perks

By Rachel Zupek

Where can you grab a cold beer from the company keg when the clock strikes four? Where can you take in a yoga class during your lunch hour? And where can you do laundry for free?
art.beer.jpg

At work, that’s where.

Years ago, such generous benefits were better fit for a utopian dream than real workplaces.

Nowadays, while competitive salaries and advancement opportunities still rank high on the list of job priorities, lavish perks like posh vacations, gourmet cafeterias and concierge services are inching their way up the importance scale.

Employers want perks that offer a way to make life easier for their employees, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.com.

By taking care of chores employees either dislike or don’t have time for, employers create a stronger emotional tie between the employee and the company, as well as increase productivity and retention.

“Employers realize the best way to retain prized employees among the current talent crunch is to make them want to stay, often through first-rate perks,” Haefner says. “In addition to the standard comprehensive benefits package, some companies are taking things a step further, offering unique perks to keep current employees happy and new employees eager to stick around.”

The company perks we came across ran the gamut from widespread to unique to downright unfair.
Don’t Miss

Generation Y: Too demanding at work?

Check out how companies, big and small, across the country are keeping their employees happy.

1. Barkley; Kansas City, Missouri

Great perks: This advertising agency has an annual “Kidnap Day,” when the company shuts down for the day and workers are taken to an undisclosed location, like an arcade.

Additionally, there are break-time activities, like pool and ping-pong tournaments, and free Boulevard beer on tap after 4 p.m. To top it off, employees are given birthdays off (with $25 spending money); on-site yoga; and a rooftop observation deck with gardens, Wi-Fi access and barbecue grills.

2. SAS; Cary, North Carolina

Great perks: Along with amenities like an on-site hair salon, massage therapy and car detailing, this software company also features subsidized day care centers and a free on-site healthcare center, complete with doctors, nurse practitioners and nutritionists.

3. Homestead Technologies; Menlo Park, California

Great perks: Talk about time off: Employees earn paid winter breaks from Christmas to New Year’s Day; paid days off for birthdays; unlimited paid sick leave; and after five years with the company, a four-week sabbatical earning two-thirds of their salary.

They also receive $100 gift cards for their birthdays, an all-expenses-paid retreat each year and use of a cabin in Lake Tahoe during the ski season (for a small fee to rent).

4. VistaPrint; Lexington, Massachusetts

Great perks: Employees who have been with this graphic design and custom-printing company for five years have the chance to take a one month, paid sabbatical — to do whatever they please.

5. Creative Business Resources (CBR); Phoenix, Arizona

Great perks: In addition to regular holiday bonuses in 2006, employees at CBR, a human resource outsourcing company, got a surprise bonus: a $150 shopping spree after the holiday team lunch.

Employees received cash and were told to return with receipts showing how they spent the money on themselves.

6. Goldman Sachs; New York, New York

Great perks: Employees who get married or register a domestic partnership get an extra week of vacation at this global investment banking, securities and investment management firm.

7. Google Inc.; Mountain View, California

Great perks: To name a few: Employees receive up to $8,000 per year in tuition reimbursement; unlimited sick leave; 27 days of paid time off after one year; on-site conveniences like medical and dental facilities, oil changes, car washes, haircuts, free washers and dryers, and three (free) gourmet meals a day.

No wonder this search engine firm was voted No.1 in Fortune’s 2007 “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

8. National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association; Seattle, Washington

Great perks: Workers enjoy a “bring your baby to work” policy, which allows employees to bring their newborns to work until they’re 6 months old or for a total of three months.

9. Digitas Health; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great perks: Free gym memberships (including lunchtime yoga); “Beer Fridays” during the colder months to kick off the weekends; and summer hours on Fridays to get out and enjoy the weather.

10. San Francisco SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

Great perks: If dogs are well-behaved, employees can bring them to work; they’re also allowed one day off when an animal companion dies.

11. KPMG; New York, New York

Great perks: Workers for this audit, tax and advisory firm earned a five-day weekend around the Fourth of July this year, with a “Barbecue Bonanza” gift of steaks, chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers.

The firm also runs seasonal contests, like “Movie Madness” (around the Academy Awards) or the “Summer Vacation Photo Challenge.” Prizes include big-screen TVs, iPods, Nintendos and travel vouchers.

12. Adams & Knight; Avon, Connecticut

Great perks: Perks are in the environment at this advertising agency.

The center of the building is a full-scale replica of a 1950s diner, complete with booths, a jukebox and a Coca-Cola machine (which spits out free bottles of Coke and Diet Coke). Halls are lined with original, restored ads from the ’40s and ’50s, and there’s a 60-seat theater used as a meeting space for clients and staff.