News

There's always something new going on at Hothead, whether it's work-related or not. Check out our blog to see what we're up to, and feel free to post a comment of your own. (Be nice... unless you're talking about Brian). Also take a look at the latest words of wisdom from Mr. Mark Baker, where he offers valuable “nuggets” of information that support why we do some of the things we do.

February 2008

The mouse that roared - Technology is the 'ultimate slingshot' as small businesses look to gain competitive edge

Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Tom Barry Contributing writer

Binders Art Supplies and Frames ventured out on the World Wide Web three years ago, but it was only in the last year and a half that the Buckhead-based company has gotten serious about cyberspace, where the competition includes much larger companies.

Many consumers, for whatever reason, prefer dealing with large, well-known businesses. But even small firms can appear large in cyberspace.

"There are some big players on the Web," said Howard Krinsky, co-owner of Binders, which dates from 1953 and has 40 employees between its Buckhead and Charlotte, N.C., locations. "When our Web site first went up, we thought there was no way we were going to compete against them. We just wanted to enhance what we were doing at the local level."

But technology has a way of changing things and changing them quickly. Guided by Decatur-based Hothead Studios, Binders did a $30,000 overhaul on its Web site, making it far more customer-friendly. Krinsky said the results have more than paid for the outlay. Internet sales soared 300 percent last year and a similar spike is projected for this year, as the retooling continues.

From biblical tines to the 21st-century marketplace, playing David has usually been an uphill struggle. But experts say that savvy deployment of technology – maybe the ultimate slingshot – can help smaller firms craft a larger image and compete effectively against "the big boys."

A sophisticated telephone system, a sales force armed with PDAs, the latest in desktop software or a jaw-dropping Web site can pump up a profile and level the playing field.

Often the process starts with the Web site, which can be critical in attracting new customers and boosting sales to existing ones, said Binders' consultant Mark Baker, owner of Hothead Studios.

"We help little companies look bigger than they are, so they can stay competitive," Baker said. "Most folks have a site because they think it's the right thing to do – that everyone has one. But it shouldn't be just a place-holder. You really need to make it work for your business."

Chris Mohritz, founder of Simply Delivered Inc., which provides IT services to small and mid-sized businesses, said technology can be the ultimate leveler.

"I'd even go so far as to say that small companies have an advantage over large businesses when it comes to utilizing the full power of what technology can provide," said Mohritz, who also has consulted with many Fortune 500 companies.

"I'm continuously amazed at how slow [large companies] move on technology," he said. "A majority of them are five to seven years behind the times, and they don't take full advantage of the tools they currently use. That's where a small and nimble company can come in and gain a huge competitive advantage with technology."

To appear larger than it actually is, a small firm can deploy technology ranging from a unified communications system to hosted desktops, or it might implement "a mobility strategy" in which its salespeople use PDAs to check inventory and generate purchase orders on the spot, which can make competitors seem slow and cumbersome by comparison.

Mohritz said the last two years "have been huge" in making big business technology affordable for smaller enterprises.

"Most major IT services can now be delivered as 'software as a service,' meaning that companies can rent access to a specific technology tool, just as the power company provides electricity to houses," he said. "They don't have to buy large chunks of hardware and software – they can just rent it from service providers on demand. This includes many Fortune 500-quality services."

In cyberspace, relevance is vital, Baker said. "Many companies haven't updated their site in years, in which case it's basically an online brochure. Your information needs to be the most current. And it's not like you have to pay to reprint something. It's the only information out there that you can change on the fly."

Baker cautioned businesses not to put too much information on their home page. "Everyone tries to do that," he said. "I recommend creating multiple home pages, using different content to market to different [audiences]."

What's the biggest mistake small businesses make with their Web site?

"I'd go even beyond the Web site," Baker said. "Companies often want to focus on finding new customers and prospects, even though it's much easier to sell new products and services to your existing customers. You should mine your database to determine what customers are buying what items and [tailor] messages to them."

Baker said business owners tend to think their customers know everything about their products and services. They're wrong.

"Say your customers are buying oil paints," he said. "Promote brushes and canvases to them, or promote your top-line oil paints, which have a higher profit margin. Target your mailing list – and messages – to top purchasers, etc. And save on your printing cost by using e-mail [to reach] the masses."

While many customers prefer dealing with big companies, Baker said that doesn't have to be the case. By revamping its image, a smaller enterprise can change the psychology.

January 2008

Going PMS 808 (Green) in 2008

Some trends—like the skort, neon tights and anything from the 80’s—deserve to die (a slow and painful death.) Others, like “Going Green” are hopefully here to stay. We believe that “Going Green” is more than just another buzzword or trend o’ the month. And judging by the marketplace, we aren’t the only ones. Fortune 100 empires down to Mom & Pop’s are beginning to incorporate green thinking into their marketing and company policies.

Here’s what Hothead is doing in 2008…
• Setting computers to power down automatically after 15 minutes of idle time, cutting the machine’s energy use 70%.
• Using low-flow toilets that use up to 8 gal. (Don’t laugh; toilet flushing is the single biggest water hog nationwide)
• Recycling bins for cans, cups, glass products and paper
• Switching to recycled paper products including toilet paper, facial tissue and paper towels (thanks to our GP client)
• We make the most of natural lighting – open the blinds people!
• Our Switchboard system tracks all documents and messages, which means less printing
• Starting this year, we’ll be printing our Hothead newsletter on recycled paper

And finally, we are trying to talk Mark into letting us skip the work commute altogether by clocking in from home. Somehow, I’m not sure that’s gonna happen…

October 2007

Hothead Studios Wins the Gold!

Hothead Studios joined hundreds of guests, dozens of winners, and Howie Mandel at Chicago’s most elegant venue — Union Station — for an unforgettable evening: the 2007 DMA International ECHO Awards.

But we did more than just drink free booze at the open bar...we took home a Gold ECHO Award!

The Echo Awards are the Oscars of Direct Marketing, celebrating the year’s most exciting direct marketing campaigns featuring revolutionary creative, brilliant strategy, flawless execution and astounding results from marketing’s best and brightest.

The 2007 ECHO Awards were presented to campaigns from 26 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

For this year's awards, 1,124 campaign entries were submitted, shattering all previous records. Of those campaigns, 24 campaigns were honored with Gold ECHOs, 51 with Silver ECHOs, and 55 with Bronze. Hothead won our Gold ECHO in the Business-to-Business / Business and Consumer Services Category.

We don't like to brag (ahem) so we'll just leave you with a quote from Mitchell Lieber, chairman of the DMA International ECHO Award Committee and president of Lieber & Associates:

"The campaigns that we honored with ECHO Awards excel across the board — in creative, strategy, and quantifiable results,” said Mitchell Lieber. “Among the winners, there are outstanding integrated campaigns, great direct mail, and very smart employment of data and digital media — and they all produced impressive results. Our winners represent the ideals of ECHO — the best direct marketing principles applied to all of today's channels in smart ways. In winners we often see very intelligent strategies, executed with beautiful creative as well as cutting-edge analytics and technology to produce advertising that moves the meter. These ECHO honorees — from every corner of the globe — have truly produced the best direct marketing in the world. These ECHO-winning campaigns are proven to have the power to change a business. They are great work — that works great.”

Okay, so Mitchell was talking about ALL the winners and not just Hothead Studios ... but that puts us in pretty good company!

And just wait until NEXT year!

About Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association for business and nonprofit organizations that use and support multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable and appropriate offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents nearly 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2007, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — are forecast to spend $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales. In 2007, direct marketing will account for 10.2 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support nearly 9.0 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.6 million US jobs.

September 2007

Hothead Studios and Ricoh (formerly Lanier Worldwide) are finalists in the upcoming 2007 DMA International ECHO Awards Competition.

What are the ECHO Awards? The ECHO Awards competition recognizes “the whole package”− marketing strategy and tactics, creative execution, and results. To win an ECHO, you must prove you have a brilliant strategy, revolutionary creative, database technique, planning, and astounding results. Whew! And as of August, we’ll find out whether we stay an ECHO Finalist, or move up to win an ECHO gold, silver, or bronze award.

Perhaps you remember reading about our entry, Ricoh’s Crack the Code program in our previous issue? For a mere $28,000 investment, Ricoh netted $3,900,000 in new business through this phenomenally successful direct mail campaign. With that kind of response − who needs an award? (But hey, we’ll take it!)

May 2007

The Marketing Baker Summer Tour

Starting this summer, Hothead is proud to announce the tour de Mark. The “Marketing Baker” will be sharing his experience making creative in a business world and his approach to building lasting client relationships. This May, Mark will be giving a seminar on “Speaking the language of business” to students at the Creative Circus, giving the up and coming designer a taste of what to expect in the real world working environment and how to appeal to prospective clients. Mark will also be a panelist at two AIGA events, explaining how to present creative to the corporate world utilizing the language of business. Look for more events to come!

March 2007

La Femme Traffiqüe

Julie Stutes is the newest addition to the Hothead team. Nicknamed “la femme traffiqüe,” she is streamlining the Hothead work process with her impeccable trafficking capabilities. With over ten years of project management experience, Julie is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to getting the job done. She is Hothead's project manager, traffic analyzer, and time keeper extraordinaire, involved with every job from start to finish. When not trafficking at Hothead, Julie can be found shooting black and white infrared photography or watching All My Children.

There's no place like Hothead's new building

After all the fish-clearing, deconstructing, and reconstructing, the new Hothead is finally home. Our new building is the perfect blend of function and personality, giving us Hotheads an expressive space to call our own. Come see what we've done with the place!