Get This

A New Direction for HK.

The most important predictor of business success is offering something that enough people want to buy.

Over the past five years, Harrison Kohn has earned a positive reputation for helping smaller companies establish engaging brand personalities. However, in late 2008, as the economy started to teeter, we began to sense less interest from business owners about the vitality of their brand. Staffs were being trimmed and dollars allocated to marketing were being rerouted to other areas of the business. Almost two years later, very little has changed. Long-term positioning seemed of little value when the whole concept of “long term” was on shaky ground.

Like any smart business, we have the insight to see what’s happening and the power to do something about it. So, next month, Harrison Kohn will be remastered as a different kind of advertising agency. One that will combine smart thinking and intelligent web marketing to become an indispensable creative solutions agency for a growing list of dynamic companies.

Survival isn’t a particularly noble idea. But it’s the first step toward thriving. We’re excited about our impending SHiFT, and look forward to telling you more very soon.

Gary Upham Joins HK

After a lengthy search, we’ve found our man. Gary Upham has joined Harrison Kohn as graphic designer and web developer.

Like any business, our challenge is to constantly evolve and retool to be the kind of agency that’s right for the realities of a challenging economy. After many conversations with Greenville business leaders, we sense a clear mandate to focus less explicitly on brand, and more on attacking an opportunity.

Gary Upham ... designer, web developer and fan of all things Detroit.

That’s where Gary Upham comes in. A graduate of Lander University with a degree in Visual Arts, Gary is now completing coursework at Greenville Technical College in website design. His interest (which mirrors our own) is in developing smart, user-friendly websites with a robust content management platform for blogging, video and social media. This new website becomes the centerpoint of your brand, the focal point of a community of believers.

We welcome Gary and look forward to the many contributions he’ll be making to our company and our clients.

Lessons Learned From “Despicable Me”

My nine-year-old daughter’s burning desire to see “Despicable Me” this weekend trumped movie requests from other family members. At the end of the show, we had to agree that Kate had it right. It’s a wonderful movie.

Last night I reread a story from the Wall Street Journal about the lessons learned from the relatively low ($69M) budget film.

“To save money and stay competitive, Illumination (Entertainment) has relied on young, less-expensive animators and first-time directors, who cost less than half that of a more experienced hand,” the article reads. “Working fast helps as well. The company produced “Despicable Me” in just three years — as opposed to the typical five to seven years many animated features take.”

At Harrison Kohn, we think the same can be said of the advertising business. With few exceptions, the bloated “full service” agencies have either disappeared or re-emerged as scaled-down boutiques.

Being small has its advantages! For one, we don’t have to worry about cutting back. Instead, we’re focused on bringing in the exact right person to help us better align our expertise with what business owners need in order to cost-effectively market themselves in a constricting economy.

Just like the producers of “DM” understood, today’s market is screaming for Quick, Smart and Affordable. We’ve been hearing it for two years, and we’re a better agency because of it.

Wal-Mart Gets a Little Greener

Noticed today in the Wall Street Journal a piece about the environmentally-driven Seventh Generation brand being stocked at Wal-Mart. Come September, Seventh Generation cleaning products, diapers and baby wipes will be carried by Wal-Mart’s online venue.

According to co-founder Jeffrey Hollender, for years a critic of the retail giant, “we’ve shifted dramatically in the way we see the world.” All this is a result of Wal-Mart’s new direction with respect to sustainability.

“What I realized is if you could get Wal-Mart moving quicker and more aggressively in this direction, we’d be able to solve the challenges we’re facing much more quickly and much more efficiently,” said Hollender. “Wal-Mart can move quicker than probably any government on the planet.”

Encouraging story in an otherwise dreary month.

Bank Marketing for the Real World

Until recently, banks were often perceived as pristine organizations that opened at 8:30 and closed in time for a quick 9-holes of golf. For better or for worse, all that has changed. Most banks, like most businesses, are fighting hard to get through one of the most challenging economies in Greenville’s history.

Peoples National Bank, a 24-year fixture in the Pickens County market, engaged Harrison Kohn to help gain traction within the business community for its new flagship office on Antrim Drive in Greenville.

The fruit of our creative labors was a unique dimensional concept called the Survivor’s Guide to Business (Leadership in a Changing World). Hand-delivered in an 8″ x 6″ tin, the package included a personalized note and a booklet full of insight and inspiration. We drew ideas from local business leaders such as local developer Bo Aughtry, Clemson-based economist Bruce Yandle and Greenville-based CPA Dell Baker. Stories were short and each conveyed a clear point about sustaining a small business during tough times.

According to PNB Greenville City Executive Bill Stephenson, the Survivor’s Guide has been a huge hit: “This one little piece has helped us open so many doors in businesses that were largely unfamiliar with our bank. It’s generated a lot of interest and goodwill.”

Bravo Peoples National Bank for having the courage to commission a concept that was well outside the conventional bank marketing box. Bravo Harrison Kohn for brilliant execution of a cool little piece!

Beyond Uniforms

Our client Select, through its parent company Varsity Brands,  has partnered with the international humanitarian group Coaches Across Continents to to help develop soccer social responsibility programs in the African nations of Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.

Ugandan kids take a break during a Coaches Across Continents soccer camp.

I was privileged to join Coaches Across Continents founder Nick Gates and Select Gear GM Phil Holdsworth at the National Soccer Coaches Association convention for a wide ranging discussion about what CaC is doing in Africa to bring inspiration and human connection to children in at-risk communities. For Select, the mission today is to send soccer jerseys, shorts, balls and other gear to CaC volunteers living in Africa. For the future, Phil envisions linking American soccer clubs that wear the Select brand with individual grassroots initiatives within the three countries. Clubs will be able to forge strong ties within a community, to the point of sending coaches, parents and players to participate directly in local programs.

This summer’s World Cup brought global attention to South Africa. But the grim realities of child soldiers, youth abductees and orphaned children in many African countries never made the headlines or highlight reels. We want to recognize the good works of Coaches Across Continents and the support of the international soccer community in this mission to bring new life to thousands of innocent kids.

Harrison Kohn was pleased to help tell the story of the CaC-Select partnership in words, pictures and video on the Select website. Click here to see more of the story.

It Was 25 Years Ago Today …

June 17, 1985. At about 7:10 that Monday morning, Mark Burris unlocked a door on the top floor of a High Point, North Carolina office building. Burris Creech & Tuttle was born. Mark had taken a career diversion, leaving Thomasville Furniture, where he was regarded as something of a wunderkind, to start a small advertising agency. I remember the Sunday full-page ad in the High Point Enterprise that announced our opening: “WE STARTED WITH A FEW PROBLEMS. NOW WE WANT YOURS.”

I was 30, and had been drafted by Mark to move away from Greenville and join a crackerjack team of creative problem-solvers. On June 17, twenty-five years ago today, we were officially in “the business.” If not exactly on top of the world, we were seven stories above Main Street, with a nice view of Pilot Mtn. in the distance. Man, we were fab.

Mark Burris (left) and Mike Harrison. From a BCT newsletter gag, circa 1987.

Mark was, and will always be my mentor. He introduced me to Springsteen and Poco, two-handed backhands, Porsche 914s (2.0L), B&O speakers, Tar Heel basketball, voting for a Democrat, an appreciation for literature and the concept of punctuality (which I have still yet to master). Mark inspired me to think outside the box, before box-thinking became fashionable. He convinced me that I could write solid creative copy. Most of all, he gave me the confidence that I could be really good in this business.

He still does.

Years ago, I realized this was not an especially great business if your goal was to make a lot of money. I know so many fellows who live a much grander lifestyle than I. But few enjoy what they do like I do. Few feel the energy rush of a great idea or a well-crafted paragraph that has the potential to change everything. I owe so much of this contentment to Mark.

I’m one of hundreds who’s had the privilege of working for and with Mark over these 25 years. I believe most of us shine a little brighter, laugh a little longer, play a little harder and work a little smarter. In a way, probably a subconscious effort to be just a little like Mark.

Happy Anniversary, my Friend. Got you on my mind.

Measure Everything

Last week I interviewed Scott Millwood and Michael Elliott for a newsletter piece I’m writing for our client, wealth management firm Nachman Norwood & Parrott. Scott and Michael are founders of Greenville-based Customer Effective. In collaboration with Microsoft, Customer Effective has become a rising star in Customer Relationship Management consulting and solutions implementation, with an emphasis on the financial sector.

The two spoke about the importance of creating measurable performance metrics, not only for their clients, but for their own business, as well. According to Scott, “there’s not one aspect of Customer Effective that we don’t have metrics established to track our performance.”

It’s certainly possible to attribute some of Customer Effective’s success to being at the right place at the right time. But others have had access to Microsoft’s technology platforms, and have nothing like the client base Scott and Michael have built in less than ten years.

A lot of businesses (Harrison Kohn included) track only basic financial data and little else. Meanwhile, Customer Effective creates a robust dashboard of performance metrics that touches every associate within the company. And it’s monitored every week to be sure each little building block is getting done … and to reward the appropriate individual for his/her accomplishment.

Frustrated with the economy? Feeling anxiety because you’re stagnating? Learn from two gentlemen behind one of South Carolina’s most remarkable companies.

Measure everything!

Sobering News

It’s been a sobering week, highlighted by the news of the takeover of The South Financial Group (parent company of Carolina First) by TD Bank. A lot of reasons for the demise of this once-proud institution. Real estate is at or near the top of the list.

It reminds me of Conor Dougherty’s piece in the Wall Street Journal from last week. According to Dougherty, the construction industry is running 13% below its year-ago level, and 25% below the boom-year peak. About 2.1 million construction related jobs have been lost since spring 2007. With the glut of housing, offices and retail space, don’t expect those jobs to come back soon.

Adding to the problem, homeowners aren’t able to borrow as much due to declining home values. Same is true for small business, where almost half of business owners secure loans with suddenly devalued commercial real estate.

Real estate and construction have typically helped to lead America out of past recessions. If that’s the case with the current one, we can’t realistically expect a full rebound any time soon.

We wish our friends at Carolina First well. We hope for brighter days ahead for Greenville, for South Carolina and for the U.S. economy. We need it.

Nordstrom & Dollar General: Lessons Learned

On consecutive pages in today’s Wall Street Journal, we read of Nordstrom’s 44% Q1 profit and Dollar General’s decision to add 600 new stores in 2010.

It would seem that upmarket consumers are tired of doing without and returning to Nordstrom in droves. Well almost. According to the story, fueling a lot of the Seattle-based retailer’s growth is a smart move to “accessible luxury” items … code for a wider assortment of budget-friendly merchandise.

Meanwhile, at Dollar General, CEO Rick Dreiling reported that the combination of value and convenience is driving sales. “Value means more today than it did two years ago, and no CEO thinks it is going to be like it was. We’re in a new spending norm,” Dreiling is quoted in the Journal. Interestingly, Dollar General is upgrading its non-consumable offerings by bringing in L’Oreal cosmetics and Hanes underwear.

These days, the most dangerous place to be is middle-market. No matter what your business, if there’s not a clear value message that’s understood by your core customer, your days may be numbered.