Feedback: February 2015

Question: Marketing today not only involves many facets of communication, it requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Considering both elements you employed and the demographic(s) you targeted, what is a successful marketing campaign you have used for your business?

Carol Nalevanko
President
DMB Sports Clubs
Sector: Health Clubs

One of the most recent successful marketing campaigns we’ve run is the launch of our new Ocotillo Village Health Club & Spa, opening this April in Chandler.

Early on we created an Ocotillo Village landing page on the main Village website and an Ocotillo Facebook page to collect contact information from interested prospects. We routinely touched base with everyone on that list. Knowing a high percentage of our members come from the referrals of other members, we announced the new Village in our member magazine. And we began spreading the word through local community meetings and editorial articles.

A groundbreaking ceremony in June 2014 was well attended by the media and local dignitaries. In September we began running ads in the Arizona Republic and local newspapers along with direct mail and radio spots specifically targeting our demographic in the Chandler area. Colorful banners and signage at the construction site generated interest from drive-by traffic.

By combining traditional marketing with an online presence, we more than doubled our goal during the first month of pre-sales, resulting in 335 new memberships on a goal of 150.

Carol Nalevanko is president of Scottsdale-based DMB Sports Clubs, a privately owned, multi-club operation specializing in upscale health clubs, consistently rated as one of the top 100 clubs nationwide. 

Nalevanko is a member of the Arizona Business Leadership Group, Faust Executive Group, and served on the Phoenix Sun’s Charities Board of Directors. Nalevanko was also named Distinguished Business Woman of the Year by Club Industry.

Phyllis Metcalf Senseman
VP, Agency Management & Marketing
CopperPoint
Sector: Insurance

To cut through the clutter and leave a lasting impression, you need all the marketing tools available to you, from print and electronic to digital and high visibility. We like to deliver our messages at least three times three different ways.

A great example is what the public saw from us last year, as we launched our marketing campaign to rebrand our company as CopperPoint. Along with a heavier buy in our television and radio ads, we used digital opportunities with a variety of different outlets. We took advantage of large billboards in key locations, and we expanded our presence at conferences and special events where we could set up our displays and hand out our safety materials and other collateral, as well as swag bearing our new logo.

Our campaign was successful because we used so many elements aggressively during a very short period of time. It was also important that we used all media and repeated the same message in unique ways based on the respective audience for the specific outlet.

Phyllis Metcalf Senseman is an Arizona native with more than 25 years’ experience in the insurance and financial services industry. She heads up CopperPoint’s agency retail distribution system, the association safety program and marketing.  She is a Certified Insurance Counselor, a Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow of the American College and has two Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) registrations along with life, disability, property and casualty licenses. 

Kate Thoene
Social Enterprise Director
Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center 
Sector: Nonprofit

A social enterprise is a business whose primary purpose is to advance an organization’s social mission. At SARRC, our small businesses teach both technical and employability skills to adults with autism. We sell our own brand of coffee, Beneficial Beans, and we have two Beneficial Beans Cafés, and it is critical for our customers to know that every purchase supports the clients we serve — so clear and impactful messaging is a major focus of all of our marketing efforts.

Recently getting our coffees into local Whole Foods stores, we knew it was time to refresh our branding in order to appeal to the general public. A professional marketing team helped us recreate our Beneficial Beans logo and our coffee packaging, a brand that could also translate to our cafés. The wording “COFFEE FOR AUTISM” was added in a bold way so shoppers would know right away that their purchase would have a positive social impact. Photos of real clients and the story of how SARRC services improved their lives were also added to the product.

Responsible for the oversight of mission-related businesses that provide job skills for adults with autism, Kate Thoene is a strong advocate for social enterprise business as a vehicle for people to gain the skills and confidence necessary to land a job. She and her husband have been named one of AZ’s FINEST Couples by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.