News from The EGC Group

Ernie Canadeo of The EGC Group Elected to the Executive Committee of the Long Island Association (LIA)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:59:01 GMT

Melville, NY – The EGC Group, Inc. announced today that EGC's President and CEO, Ernie Canadeo, has been elected to the Executive Committee of the Long Island Association (LIA) by its Board of Directors. Canadeo has served as a member of the Board of Directors for almost a decade and is presently a board member of the LIA’s Health Alliance. He will continue in these capacities, as well as in his new role as an executive committee member, assisting with the organization’s strategic direction.

The LIA, considered the voice and largest business organization, of Long Island, was created over 80 years ago to bring together business, labor, education, government, not-for-profits, chambers of commerce and civic organizations. In addition to his work with the LIA, Canadeo also sits on the boards of the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, United Way of Long Island marketing committee, the Stony Brook University Alumni Association, and is Chairman of the National Stuttering Association.

For more information about Ernie Canadeo or The EGC Group, visit www.egcgroup.com.

About The EGC Group:

The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing and digital agency based in Melville, New York. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and was recently awarded as an Inc. 500/5000 honoree. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

Nicole Larrauri of The EGC Group to Present at 'Summer Social Media Boot Camp' Event on July 15

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:33:45 GMT

Fair Media Council (FMC) to Hold Event for Businesses and Nonprofits in Need of Basic Training

Melville, NY – Nicole Larrauri, Managing Partner of The EGC Group – a full service marketing and digital agency – has been appointed as a member of the faculty at the Fair Media Council’s ‘Summer Social Media Boot Camp’ (#summersm) to be held on Friday, July 15th at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, N.Y.

Nicole joined EGC in 1988 with joint degrees in fine arts and business, and a career in brand management. Over the years, Nicole has helped EGC grow from 20 employees to more than 40. In that time, she has helped to triple billings and build an impressive client roster that includes national and international companies. Some accolades include being a ‘40 Under 40’ honoree, among the ‘Five People to Watch in Advertising’ and ‘Top Advertising Executive’ by Long Island Business News. Nicole is a board member of the ACIT (Advancement for Commerce, Industry and Technology), is on the Advisory Board of Farmingdale College, and is the Marketing and Public Relations Chairperson for the Junior League of Long Island.

Nicole will be presenting ‘How to Begin Using Social Media’ during this special half-day event. FMC’s boot camp will run from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon, offering six workshop choices, and will also include a breakfast keynote address by internationally sought-after speaker, David Mathison of Be The Media.

“Thanks to people like Nicole, who so generously donate time and expertise to serve as a member of the FMC faculty, we’re able to provide real-time, hands-on communication skills training in a manner unlike any other organization in the country,” said Jaci Clement, executive director of the Fair Media Council. “Our speakers go above and beyond the call of duty: they provide a true public service.”

Additional workshop topics include:

Why Use Social Media?
Creating An Effective Message To Tell (and Sell) Your Story
Understanding the Different Social Media Channels
How to Know If You’re Using Social Media Effectively
What We've Learned: Local Companies Share Experiences in Using Social Media
Tickets are $75 for FMC members, $99 for nonmembers. Dress code is casual (shorts and flip flops). Tickets are selling fast, and the event is attracting participants from Long Island to New Jersey. Preregistration is required. Program details and registration are available at www.fairmediacouncil.org or by calling 1.855.432.4763.

About The EGC Group:
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing and digital agency based in Melville, New York. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and was recently awarded as an Inc. 500/5000 honoree. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

EGC Announces CreateAthon 2011 Participation

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:59:12 GMT

This is a banner year, as CreateAthon marks its tenth anniversary of serving nonprofit organizations with the creation and execution of effective marketing campaigns, and The EGC Group has signed on for the fourth consecutive year to join in the 24-hour celebration. Consider entering your organization as one of this year’s ‘guests’!

During the days of September 15th and 16th, every department of The EGC Group – account services, creative, media, accounting, administrative, and production – will direct their skills to a ‘full-course’ treatment – the planning, marketing, copywriting, and design of attention-catching advertising for select nonprofits – all in a 24-hour period. It is a win-win situation for all, as worthy organizations will benefit from receiving top-drawer media service, and the staff of The EGC Group will let their creative skills thrive in an atmosphere that promises to be face-paced, exciting, and fun – and all in the name of a number of good causes (of which your non-profit may be one).

Past prestigious organizations that have collaborated with The EGC Group in CreateAthon include the Rainforest Alliance, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Autism United, Child Abuse Preventions Services, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, L.I. Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, and North Shore Animal League.

Consider entering your nonprofit organization today by completing the below application. You may be one of the lucky guests!

CreateAthon Application 2011 (PDF)

D'Addario & Company, Inc. Announces The EGC Group as Agency of Record

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:17:18 GMT

Melville, NY – D'Addario & Company, Inc., the recognized leader in the manufacturing of bowed and fretted-instrument strings, reeds, drumheads, drumsticks, percussion accessories, and guitar accessories, under the brands names D'Addario, Rico, Evans, Pro-Mark, PureSound, and Planet Waves, respectively, has named The EGC Group – an award winning marketing, advertising and digital agency – as Agency of Record. The EGC Group is charged with the strategic planning, creative development and integrated communications planning for D'Addario guitar strings, Evans drumheads and accessories, Pro-Mark drumsticks, and PureSound percussion accessories.

The win came from a competitive agency search with agencies around the country.

D'Addario’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, David Via, noted, "We wanted a marketing partner that shared our values and our commitment to the power of the brand. We also looked across the country, interviewing agencies from Minneapolis, San Francisco, Austin, New York City, and Long Island for an agency that is nimble and responsive to our ever-changing marketplace. We are excited to have found the ideal partner so close to home, enabling us to build on our successes, and develop new market opportunities."

The EGC Group's Founder and President, Ernie Canadeo, noted, "It’s a special honor for me especially to welcome D'Addario to the EGC family, as D'Addario guitar strings have been a product I’ve enjoyed for many years. The D'Addario family of brands are beloved and rich in history, and we will be leveraging that history, while introducing new ideas, new thinking and new media."

Nicole Larrauri, Managing Partner of EGC added, "As a customer-centric marketing company, our first step has been to get deep into customer insights. We are revealing who they are, where they are – online and off, and what influences them. It’s been a fascinating process, and it’s only the beginning."

About D'Addario
D'Addario & Company, Inc., designs, manufactures, and markets complete lines of strings for fretted and bowed musical instruments, drumheads, drum practice pads, and guitar and woodwind accessories under these proprietary brand names: D'Addario, Evans, Planet Waves, Rico, Pro-Mark, and PureSound. The company’s products are marketed and sold in approximately 120 countries worldwide.

About The EGC Group:
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing and digital agency based in Melville, New York. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and was recently awarded as an Inc. 500/5000 honoree. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

Does Traditional Media Still Work?

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:36:07 GMT

First of all, let's start out with the all-important question: Just what is "traditional media"?

Pose this question to a high school or college student, and the answer may surprise you—if you’re over the age of 20, that is. To this demographic, online advertising and social media are as traditional as newspaper, TV, radio and direct mail are to the rest of us. And that savvy high school or college student might likely challenge the notion that such prehistoric marketing methods actually still work!

Well, at EGC we’d stand up to the challenge, citing major national companies like Old Spice (that’s right, it isn’t all just social), AmEx, MasterCard and others who realize that traditional advertising has an ability to build brand awareness, brand character and brand cache in a way that many brands can’t achieve in the ever-growing, ever-fragmented digital space. Don’t agree with us? Well, Forbes certainly does. And while the online media darlings who go from Dud to Stud overnight and serve as amazing online media case studies may catch your attention, ask yourself—how many of them are there? And over the course of the lifespan of traditional media (100 years? 150 years?) how many amazing brands did traditional media build?

Score: Traditional Media – a lot. Digital Media – not nearly as many (yet.)

We would stand up to the challenge with a handful of our own clients, as well. Client Brother International (both their HAD and IPD divisions) has seen tremendous measured success with television over the past two years—GoogleTV, that is. So yes—the methods of buying traditional advertising have changed, but the core tenants around it as a means of people getting information and entertainment have not. The new ways of buying TV—locally, on cable, through satellite networks, etc.—have just made it more targeted and more cost-effective. But TV is still TV. No matter how you buy it, there needs to be a message, a reason to act. Recall.

Or, look at optical retailers Site for Sore Eyes and Sterling Optical, who continually report strong responses from print ads in local, targeted outlets…we’re talking about drilling down to the community level, and even to the level where ads run in the daily bulletins at the shopping centers where the stores are located. They leverage and see success with new, innovative ways of buying print, like post-it notes on the front cover, and bellyband wraps, too. It’s print. It works—if you buy it right.

And let’s not forget radio. Gone are the days of 0:60 produced spots. What’s working now is live reads, by station personalities, during news/traffic breaks. What better way to catch audience attention and reduce tune-out than to embed your message in real, relevant content they care about? A number of EGC clients across several markets employ this strategy with success—and are looking forward to the newest advance in radio-buying (Internet radio, anyone?).

The Forbes writer really sums it up with this quote: "The media of advertising may change, but its central role in brand strategy does not. First and foremost, it tells prospective clients we're here, and keeps our name fresh in their minds. It can help drive a company's growth, overall brand strength and resilience." So whether the way we tell them is a broadcast buy, or via GoogleTV, a half page black and white newspaper ad, or a post-it on the front cover, 0:60 radio spots or 0:15 intros to traffic reports, the end result is the same—traditional media is alive and well… it just had a facelift.

Outdoor Media—Billboards and Beyond

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:38:34 GMT

Remember the days when outdoor media was all about the huge billboard that hit the consumer in the face as they drove out of a tunnel, or sat in traffic on a major traffic-jammed thoroughfare? That is so 1990's!

Advertisers rejoiced when billboards got "cool" and allowed, through rotating panels, for two advertisers to share the expense (and yes, impressions) of one major board. Even cooler was when they went digital, allowing the consumer to be hit with three to five messages as they zoomed by.

How very "Internet" of them.

No more! Outdoor advertising—or out of home (OOH) advertising—has extended well beyond the billboard (which, bought and placed appropriately is STILL a great way to build brand awareness). Now, OOH advertising encompasses more than 100 formats and delivers over $7 billion in annual revenues (source: Wikipedia).

100 formats, you ask? Yes—consider these, just a handful of the 100… surely, you’ve seen them all:

Billboards
Buses—on the bus, in the bus, at the bus stop
Commuter rail advertising—in the car, at the stop
Lamp post advertising—been to a baseball game lately?
Mobile billboards—a must-have for major trade show advertisers!
Street advertising—literally, chalk on the pavement…
Taxis—on the top, in the car, on screens in the car
Wallscapes on buildings
Airport advertising—posters, on the baggage claim, etc.
How then, does a savvy advertiser choose what is right for their brand with all of these options?

Easily—target locally, and target appropriately.

Consider EGC client Storage Deluxe. A top provider of storage space in the New York metropolitan area, Storage Deluxe’s locations are all located outside Manhattan—within easy commuting distance for city-dwellers…and those willing to make the trek will find cost-savings in comparison to storage facilities located in NYC. To reach the NYC apartment-dweller, Storage Deluxe has advertised on NYC buses and subways for several years with great success. This year's campaign, due to launch in April, features core brand differentiators and will provide special offers to those who text in. Space can be rented online, via Smartphone—which has become a key piece of the customer-capture strategy. They see, they think, they book. Done.

Optimum Lightpath also adhered to the "target locally, target appropriately" model when trying to reach the New Jersey business customer. High impact placements were secured that ensured the average NY/NJ commuter would see Optimum at least three times during their daily commute, hammering home the message that Optimum was the Network Behind NJ Business. The result—big campaign buzz and increased leads.

So, who said outdoor is so 1990's?

Small Businesses: Can You Afford to Ignore Twitter?

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:38:06 GMT

Three in four adults have a Facebook page—that's right, your Mom probably wants to be your friend! And roughly one-third of small businesses are on Facebook, according to InformationWeek.

But what about Twitter?
Reports differ—InformationWeek cites between 20% and 25% of small businesses are on Twitter, with other outlets, like eMarketer suggesting less. InformationWeek suggests this is because Twitter is better suited to individuals than businesses, noting that small businesses don’t often have well-known personalities that customers can seek out on Twitter.

Regardless of what businesses are on Twitter, one fact remains—there are over 150 million users on Twitter, with over 300,000 new users joining daily. Is that a universe you want to ignore? Likely not.

So…what's a small business to do? Create a presence for your company and attempt to grow a following? Or task your key employees with doing so as individuals, and relating their presence to your brand?

Both.

Ask yourself, as a purveyor of services, how often you hire the company… and how often you hire the people that work for the company, who make it what it is, what is stands for. Those people need a presence. A voice. If you sell a product instead of a service, your greatest brand ambassadors are your employees who believe in that product—shouldn’t their friends and their friends’ friends hear about that?

Ultimately, social media is like any other business initiative—you, as the business owner must define what is right for YOUR company, RIGHT now. To start, look to your senior internal brand ambassadors for support and content, and define a strategy from there. There is no silver bullet—but you can’t win if you don't play.

Remember When a Phone Was Just For Making Phone Calls?

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:37:28 GMT

Yesterday, as I prepared to write this article on mobile marketing, I started to keep track of exactly what I used my phone for.

The day started with a check of email, the weather, and local news. Shortly thereafter, the phone was back in use for an exchange of texts between friends I would meet later. At work, I used the Internet radio app to drown out noise, and then at lunch a barcode scanning app to confirm I was getting the best price on a purchase. Whoops! At the counter, I realized there was not enough money in my account to pay for those shoes, so I quickly transferred funds from my savings account to my checking account. Later, more texts were exchanged between my friends and our locale for the evening was moved. Not knowing anything about the spot, or how to get there, I checked out their website, read reviews on a third-party website, and mapped my route to the meet-up spot.

Before heading out to dinner, I paid two bills, checked my Facebook page and sent a Tweet into Twitterville. At dinner, I took pictures of my friends, and then we checked out what movies were playing at the theater next door—and bought our tickets, of course.

As I arrived at home, I realized—I didn’t use the phone as a telephone all day.

Welcome to the World of the Smartphone.

As this insightful article from Mobile Marketer notes, mobile marketing has well surpassed just text, display and search. Mobile now covers social (the fastest-growing activity), gaming, banking, shopping, etc. Statistics note that almost 25% of the time spent accessing the Internet is done via mobile devices. Morgan Stanley recently released a study that predicts that phone Internet usage will surpass computer usage as early as 2012. This all begs the question—can you afford not to be in the mobile game?

If you’re not already there, the Mobile Marketer article has five easy tips for how to start the process—the most important one being 'don't be afraid to fail.' As with any new media platform, best practices and right vs. wrong are fuzzy right now. What works for your competitor might not work for you. As mobile changes and grows, so too must you, to fit within the platform and to provide your customers with what they want. Not sure what that is? Ask them—and use your common sense. One in three searches on a mobile phone are locally driven—that is, the user is looking for something in their vicinity. When they search, your starting point is to be there and to be user-friendly.

Is All Media Good Media?

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:36:55 GMT

The Media Issue of our newsletter would be incomplete without a review of the one-man media storm taking over March. From Twitter to every evening news broadcast to late night comedy shows, Charlie Sheen is everywhere, announcing that he is "winning" the "war" against… well, everyone. No stranger to trouble, Sheen has really upped the ante with this assault on the media. And while we are all left to ponder if we are watching an epic meltdown or a genius in earned media do his thing, Sheen’s behavior raises an even bigger question in the advertising/media space:

To align, or not to align, with someone who is a media mega star…but for less than positive reasons?

The unpaid, earned media Sheen has garnered for himself in two weeks is more media coverage than most brands will amass all year. Or even over several years. Ray Broguiere, owner of the farm that produces the chocolate milk featured in Sheen's first Twitter post noted as such, telling the media that he would "never be able to afford this kind of publicity" after his farm was inundated with phone calls in the days following Sheen's Tweet.

The traditional (read: safe) thinking suggests brands should shy away from troubled stars with risky reputations—as CBS just did by firing Charlie Sheen, and as Tiger Woods painfully learned when he lost a number of sponsors after his Thanksgiving 2009 crash that led to his good-boy/family man reputation crashing down around him. But somehow, the Sheen situation is different. While Tiger was running from the media, Charlie is inviting it to follow his every move. He firmly believes he is #winning—and the rest of us, if we don’t follow suit, will be left behind. He’s building a brand that doesn’t need a television show or a network behind it—and in doing so, he’s beating every single brand out there when it comes to coverage.

So, tell us—if you were Ray Broguiere, would you be thrilled that Charlie Sheen is a fan of your product, or would you issue a statement separating yourself from the storm? We’re talking about this topic on our Facebook page, and we want to know your thoughts.

Where is Social Media Going in 2011?

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:04:38 GMT

All signs point to 2011 being another blockbuster year in social media. Will you be ready? Read on for our predictions about where social media is going, how it will change, and what that means for your business.

Social Networking is Mobile

Smartphones and tablets will shift the balance of social networking to mobile devices. As a result, the social networks will be required to enhance their mobile applications. With the rise of social networks on mobile, the integration of advertising into mobile social media will begin to be incorporated. This will most likely be some of the most effective advertising because of the targeting ability and real estate occupied by the advertising.

Location-Based Marketing Takes Hold

As noted above, with the continued rise of smartphones, location-based marketing will likely be the largest growth area of social media. Retailers of all kinds will use location-based marketing to drive in-store sales and increase the likelihood of purchasing by customers. All social networks will incorporate some sort of geo-locations, but it is likely that Facebook and Foursquare will continue to lead the pack.

Continued Rise of Facebook and Social Search

Facebook has established their foothold in social media and online. In 2011, you can expect to see the continued growth of both Facebook and Social Search. The growth of Social Search and the integration of the Open Graph will explode and Google will likely incorporate the Open Graph in order to make their search more relevant. With the amount of time spent on Facebook continuing to rise and the integration of the Open Graph across all websites, there will be an acceleration of Social Search.

Consolidation

With the large number of social networks and many of them performing very similar tasks, there will likely be a combination of mergers and partnerships that will bring these varied social networks together. This will help the consumers focus their time and energy in the social network world, and provide advertisers with an opportunity to be more targeted and focused with their advertising message. The main stays in social networking will be Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Look to Google to try entering the scene, but not likely to succeed unless they are able to seamlessly integrate into the search product and attain adoption across a wide variety of websites.

More Sophisticated Tracking

One of the most important developments for social networking is going to be the proliferation of services that will provide tracking and ROI metrics for social networking. One of the biggest downfalls of social networking is its inability to give clear ROI reporting to businesses engaged in the medium. In 2011, there will likely be a large number of companies focused on realizing the ROI of social media. Using a combination of tracking methods and studies, the positive effect of social media will begin to be uncovered with new tracking and analytics suites.

Inside Three Brand Immersion Social Media Experiences

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:04:04 GMT

Like most people, companies and brands, you probably have a Facebook and Twitter account, as well as a YouTube page. The question is – are your pages and the experiences that your fans, followers and watchers have there – brand immersive? Visit our Facebook page to see how each one of these brands deliver a brand immersive experience across multiple social platforms to their customers every day.

Brand immersion is more than a buzz term. At its core, brand immersion is the act of engaging with your customer on an emotional level…infusing your brand into their lifestyle. Sounds like a big charge, right? With the proper planning and staffing, it doesn’t need to be. So how do you do it?

Start by developing content that your core user will find useful to THEIR lives. Make it engaging and interactive – ask for engagement and response from your followers. Deliver it within platforms that make your customers feel ‘welcome’ in the personality of your brand – they should look and feel like your website and your other existing messaging platforms.

For all of this hard work, what will your brand get? If you’re successful, like EGC clients Brother International, Storage Deluxe and London Jewelers, you will see that – over time – you grow an engaged base that will provide a real look into the hearts and minds of your core customer base.

Meet Tori Linscott, Member of the EGC Social Media Team

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:03:22 GMT

Want to get the inside information right from the mouth of an EGC social media expert? We sat down for 5 Questions with Tori Linscott.

Q. So you're one of the social media experts at EGC. How did you get into social media?

A. I started out during what some might call the “golden era” of social media marketing right around 2006, when the value in it really started to be noticed. Hofstra University Public Relations professors preached the importance of social media to businesses and marketing campaigns and I wanted an “A” so I jumped on the bandwagon. I interned for Versace and with the responsibility of being a “media manager,” I quickly saw the real value in social media. I realized the easiest place to find out what was being said about Versace’s new line was on Facebook or on blogs. I saw the potential in it and quickly figured out my professors were right. It wasn’t so much that I found social media. Social media found me, and to be honest – made my job a lot easier!

Looking back now, audiences were far less jaded and self-proclaimed experts back in 2008. As time went on, exponentially more people (like myself) started to blog and tweet about social media – making it exponentially more difficult to stand out. In my opinion, social media users’ brains and eyeballs are quickly becoming fatigued. I combat social media everyday with the same notion: only the best of the best content, and the most charismatic personalities can crack through all the “me too” noise and rise to the top.

Q. What top three things should marketers keep in mind when engaging consumers in social media?

A. Encourage consumer-generated content: the nature of the customer’s interactions with a brand, company and other customers are now, almost under all circumstances, interactive. If you ask your fans to post pictures or videos on top of their feelings, people are going to become engaged.

When engaging consumers, you need to lead with messages that consumers will care about: style, price, function – and let sustainability attributes be the icing on the cake. A storage company is just a storage company until you start reaching out to consumers, giving them helpful hints on packing up holiday decorations and organization. You have now become a resource to them; it’s important to remember a brand succeeds when it bridges a gap inside the consumer’s mindset of where they are now and where they want to be.

Keep in mind: engaging your consumers in social media is not a destination; it’s a journey. Never stop engaging. Shower your fans with public recognition and they’ll respond.

Q. How do you handle a negative post or negative comment?

A. Easy. Tell them you have heard them and you plan to do everything in your power to change their feelings. Give them someone to call (not a 1-800 number, but a cell phone or office line). Let them know you accept full responsibility for what has made them feel negatively toward your brand and let them know this is how you plan to fix it.

Q. What tools are most useful to you?

A. I keep daily activity logs of my time spent interacting with fans, looking into competitors, reading related blogs, etc. This way I always have something to refer back to or remind me of a conversation I had with a consumer that I need to go back to.

I tend to use Tweet Deck and Viral Heat to manage conversations. These tools let me view all social pages for all our clients (including my own pages). If someone says something about a social page I manage, I’m going to know about it and be able to respond in a timely manner.

Q. With the low cost of entry for social media, many marketers look to do this in-house. Describe the benefit to having a professional communications firm handle the effort?

A. Actually, social media is really easy to screw up. Who do you want to be the public voice of your brand? An intern who has a short-term commitment to your company? A mid-level marketing manager who is having a midlife crisis? It’s quite easy to offend people and stir up an online reputation problem, damage your company brand, or make a costly mistake (i.e.: picking the wrong wording for your company Facebook fan page – or forgetting a password and locking yourself out of a key account.) A better option I recommend is to get initial guidance from an experienced social media professional, and to let your intern or assistant follow their guidelines. You don’t have to feel like an outsourced “professional” is in charge or your company brand, but a professional who is willing to work with your company and show you social media best practices that work for you and your team.

Did You Know Your EGC Team is on Twitter?

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:02:43 GMT

Follow their tweets on marketing, social media, food and life here:

@NicoleAtEGC
@DigitalEnvoy
@KimAtEGC
@RichAtEGC
@SteveAtEGC
@VictoriaAtEGC
@CarolynAtEGC
@ChristineAtEGC

The EGC Group Gives Back to Homeless Families

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:44:34 GMT

[Video]

Thoughts on 25 Years of Starting and Running an Advertising Agency

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:43:22 GMT

by Ernie Canadeo

It was the rockin' freewheeling days of the late 1970's/early 1980's when I worked in advertising at RCA Records...and my expense account was larger than my salary! When I would bring clients to Studio 54 and entertain them backstage at concerts. When wearing jeans and sneakers to work was way ahead of its time. But then I quit my job in 1985 to become Associate Publisher (and part owner) of an ill-fated magazine where my paychecks bounced and which folded after a few months. I was out of a job, and everything was so much different. As Bob Dylan wrote, “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”

I made a choice not to return to RCA – although I was offered a new job there – because I left to start my own business, and felt cheated. I still wanted to give it a shot. So I started EGC in a spare bedroom of my recently mortgaged home as "EGC Enterprises", because I had no idea what I was going to do. I looked into selling mail order videos, or advertising premium items before I decided to do what I knew, and thus formed EGC Media Group, a media buying and production agency.

It took me nine months of running up credit card debt and a lot tears before I landed my first client, an auto and marine dealer with a budget of almost $1MM. I produced a TV commercial and placed media on the new and emerging medium of cable TV with good results. And, I hired my first two employees, one of whom stayed with me for 18 years before retiring. A few months later I beat the big agencies and landed the largest retail client in the NY region at that time, TSS Seedman's, because I knew how to raise co-op advertising funds from my experience at RCA. We did some terrific creative, and had the nerve to grossly exaggerate how large my firm was – my biggest fear was they would want to visit my office, which was in an industrial park with bars on the windows. But it worked and I was in business, placing $3MM in media and hiring half a dozen people in 1986. Finally, I bought a small house in Hicksville, which became our new office.

The first piece of bad advice I received when I expanded from media buying to print production was to not buy a Macintosh computer because the quality wasn’t good enough. So, I took out a $75,000 loan and purchased a used linotype machine, and a stat camera (complete with chemicals which had to be changed weekly), only to throw them out a year later and purchase a Mac IIx, a black and white printer, a black and white scanner and Quark software for $40,000. Apple revolutionized the industry; and I learned not to listen to people who were afraid of change.

Business was good throughout the 80's, and by 1990 EGC had about a dozen clients and ten employees. I always tried to create a “family” environment at the agency, and hired wonderful and talented people who worked hard and had passion for the business. But then the recession hit, and many of our retail clients went out of business. One of them, a local chain of video stores, was purchased by the then unknown Blockbuster Video, and our client got us in to pitch Blockbuster. We won the business and became their regional agency. We “grand opened” almost 200 Blockbuster locations in three years, handling all of their advertising needs. It got us through the bad years, and I decided to create a division, The Retail Marketing Group, to showcase our retail franchise marketing experience. We subsequently became the national sales promotion agency for Haagen Dazs Ice Cream, and did sales promotions for Shell Oil Company, KFC, and the NY Lottery. And while other firms were laying people off, we continued to grow, and moved to a larger house in Hicksville in 1994. We were named one of Long Island's Top 25 Fastest Growing Firms (five of six years from 1990-1996). We were winning a lot of creative awards, including the Advertising Campaign of the Year. And we were having fun.

It was around this time that the business changed dramatically, and like many companies, we needed to reinvent ourselves to survive. Due to economic challenges, the standard commission structure was changing to a less profitable fee-based compensation, and commissions were cut. Clients were moving away from a full service agency relationship and using several agencies for different specialized services. Many were creating their own in-house agencies. And the Internet was becoming a force that would change marketing forever.

We started an Interactive Division in 1997, with a separate office and staff dedicated to building websites. Clients wanted specialization; I'd give them specialization. Our Interactive Division grew nicely, we produced websites for current and new clients, and were very profitable until September 11th changed everything and business stopped. We subsequently folded the division into our main offices, but our early experience gave us the knowledge to be smarter than our competition and, as a result, we are now one of the most successful digital agencies in the region.

We purchased our own office building in Melville in 2005, and today our agency is filled with approximately 40 incredibly talented people who work in an environment that remains very creative yet professional. We provide marketing services for some of the country’s most prestigious brands, such as Brother International and Sterling Optical, as well as many wonderful local and regional clients. All are a pleasure to work with and we love the challenge of helping to make their businesses grow and their brands become more valuable.

Of course technology has changed dramatically in the past 25…15…five…even the past six months – and one of our biggest challenges is to integrate new technology and a new culture into our clients’ marketing strategies. And I'm proud to say that we have again stayed ahead of the competition by hiring the best people and retraining our existing employees to understand how the new media has transformed ours, and our clients’, businesses.

One of the most interesting things about growing a business is how the owner’s role changes. I am not as involved in the day-to-day operations as I once was (in the beginning I did it all), and while I still have strong relationships with our clients and maintain our financial health, I have become the agency’s "ambassador", which is the perfect role for me because I truly believe we have the best, most passionate and talented people who have the proven ability to help any business grow. They are doing it, and I love telling people about it.

So what are the most important things I’ve learned in 25 years of running a business?

First is to delegate and hire the best people you can find, the ones who complement your skills and share the same passion for the business. And take care of them both financially and with enhancing their quality of life.

Promote your company and network religiously in the right circles, because referrals are the lifeblood of new business. Force yourself to get up early to go to the breakfasts, and drag yourself after working ten hours to the evening events; it will pay off.

Give back as much of your time and resources as possible to causes you believe in and to people who may not be as fortunate as you. We have a budget line for charitable work and I make sure we meet or exceed it every year. Encourage your employees to do the same.

Be a voracious reader; read industry publications as well as general news to be as smart as you can be. You want to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with your employees and clients, as well as impressing anyone who may be a potential client.

Maintain the absolute best reputation in your industry. Treat everyone well. Be fair. And always do the right thing. Combine those traits, and you can’t help but be successful.

As we celebrate our 25th year, the most rewarding thing to me is that I am convinced that our best years are still ahead of us. Thank you to everyone who has made that possible.

Toys "R" Us, Lord & Taylor and 1-800-Flowers.com—Cease and Desist!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:42:46 GMT

It should come as no surprise that a recent marketingcharts.com report verified what many of us already suspected – retail promotional email volume the week of Cyber Monday was at an all-time high. Your inbox, like those of your friends, co-workers and family members, was likely filled every day with promotional messages, promising big savings and limited time deals.

On Cyber Monday, 77% of major online retailers hit their databases with emails. This is not really surprising, being that email is cost-effective and can be developed and deployed more quickly than most other means of communication, such as direct mail or television commercials. The troublesome statistic is this one: top online retailers sent their customers an average of 4.4 emails that week. Yes – more than four emails from each company to each customer. Email best practices often note that you should not be touching your customer with email messages more than four times per month – and these companies reached out four times in one week. Even more surprising – experts predicted this number of weekly touches to grow over the weeks leading to Christmas.

Email best practices also typically note that you should only email your customers when you have something that will be of interest to them – new news. Respect their busy lives, and make your messages easy to understand. Make your subject line brief and clear. It seems that for retailers Toys "R" Us, Lord & Taylor, 1-800-Flowers.com and others, that these best practices went out the window this holiday season. Customers on their lists reported being emailed every single day, dating as far back as mid-November – sometimes twice a day. Though some featured a "deal of the day" as their justification for sending daily emails, many of the communications repeated messaging and their offers from one day to the next. It seems the real strategy for these retailers was to get in the inbox and force their way to the customers’ top of mind by showing up day in, day out.

The interesting thing will be to see how many of these retailers ultimately see an increase in their "unsubscribe" requests after this aggressive holiday season. Where do you stand? Have you received too many emails this holiday season? Did you unsubscribe from any lists? Head over to our Facebook page and join the conversation, and tell us who, if anyone, is on your Cease and Desist List.

Digital in 2011

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:42:10 GMT

What to expect in 2011:
2010 brought many exciting changes and developments in the digital space. We wanted to take a look ahead to 2011 and get an idea of what we expect to see. Here are ten things we expect to see happen in 2011.

1. Mobile Tipping Point

Mobile is here to stay and that has not changed. What is changing, and quickly, is the adoption of smartphones. We expect large growth in this segment, based on a number of important events. Those events include the holiday season with incredible deals on smartphones, the pending sale of iPhone through other carriers (Verizon and T-Mobile), and the emerging tablet trend. As users get smartphones, their data requirements go through the roof and they require more and more mobile content. This is a call to advertisers that mobile is just about ready for Primetime.

2. Website Development is no Longer Website Development

Yes, you still need to build your website and make it user-friendly, easy to navigate and impactful, but it’s no longer just about the computer. Companies need to understand how people are using their website. Look at your analytics and see the rising trend of mobile and tablet users. Does your website experience translate to those device experiences? You must look at your website as a multi-platform tool and ensure the experiences translate accordingly. Think outside the second screen and look at all four screens.

3. Higher Spends in Digital

Digital budgets have been rising year over year. Advertisers see the importance and are enamored with the trackability of it. What advertisers are also beginning to see is the positive influence that digital has outside the performance targeted media. The realization that online actually is a branding vehicle is changing the way advertisers think about the medium. Imagine a place where you can brand and drive metrics. As this change occurs, so does the move from typical branding related media to online media.

4. Continued Growth of Social Media

The last two years has seen the rise of Social Media into an important channel for branding, sales and customer service. That trend continues as advertisers continue to jump into the space. The channel will evolve with metrics and tracking taking dominant roles to justify the effectiveness. The channel will bring even more engagement as advertisers try to break free from the message clutter. This will result in even more involved campaigns, highly designed experiences and the continued trend of focusing media towards the channel.

5. The Dawn of Math Men and Women

Marketers and advertisers will demand more and more metrics as the channel continues to grow, and as an agency, we are constantly pushing the envelope on metrics because we want to understand exactly how our media is performing. It’s easy enough to keep the status quo, but a deep, thorough understanding of how and why things work will only help to make them work better in the future. The metrics we’re looking at for 2011 include attribution analysis across all media and sentiment analysis to conversion.

6. Rise of the Banner Ad

The banner never left…it’s just been in a strange state of limbo – meaning advertisers use it and see the value, but they just don’t give it enough credit. That is about to change. Going back to the notion of online as a branding vehicle – the advances in rich media, larger and more impactful ad sizes and better all around metrics – the banner is coming back. The caveat is that if you’re expecting search performance, it is going to be very difficult to match that. However, if you look at the channel as a whole, you will notice that the banner is effective in driving search and driving your business. Don’t discount it.

7. Changing Search Landscape

Search is going to go through some changes with none of them being negative, just different. Search usage will see a shift to mobile and Social Media with the same results, just in different platforms. There will be the continued integration of Social Media and the open graph. This will make search much more personal and specific to the user. This brings up the changing role of SEO and the need to be much more targeted and specific. Broad targets are good, but now it’s about being local and being personal.

8. Video Content Becomes Even More Important

Video online is usually said in the same sentence as YouTube. Online video will continue its breakthrough and become an important way for advertisers to get their messages across. It allows for storytelling and more in depth information. Online video will also become more than just YouTube video, but the reality is that online users are watching TV and movies online. Bandwidth usage will continue to rise and opportunities for advertising will grow as publishers find ways to monetize the medium.

9. Geo-location Moves Product

Geo-location (or the ability to pinpoint where you are using GPS on your phone) had huge increases in 2010. In 2011, we will see the continued growth, with this growth starting to show opportunity for retailers and businesses. Using apps and services like FourSquare, Facebook Places, Gowalla and shopping apps, retailers will jump on this channel and use it to drive business for their locations.

10. Digital Creative Drives Offline

Creative ideas span all mediums, but typically the idea is thought of in an analog world. Digital ideas tend to be more interactive and drive another level of engagement. We will likely see digital ideas weave themselves into larger ideas that span offline media. As always, great creative will be great creative; the only difference will be whether it’s coming from a digital idea or an analog idea.

War of the Ad Search Words

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:41:29 GMT

There are warring factions in the search world, Affiliate and Search teams. Search teams are comprised of agencies or brands that manage search for that specific brand, and Affiliate teams are Affiliate programs that use multiple methods to drive sales or leads. Both frequently bid in Search on the brand search terms (company name or product name) in the Search engines. This combination inevitably leads to a "bid war," where the Search team will raise the bids to stay in the top position, and the Affiliate will do the same to drive their lead generation. This atmosphere of rule bending or breaking, bidding and out-bidding has resulted in an atmosphere as heated as that of the New York Stock Exchange or an auction where prospective buyers furiously outbid each other on a rare painting. Picture those settings, magnified by as far as the Internet can reach.

To avoid violating the Terms of Service (TOS), and run the risk of being shut down by Google, Affiliate marketers need to comply with the set of rules set forth by the company or brand they are creating ad text for. While the rules for Affiliate programs may differ (depending on the company they are working for), many are similar. For example:

•In some cases, brands will not allow the Affiliates to bid on brand terms (or will allow them to with a low maximum bid). Others will have rules on non-branded keywords as well. The reason is that these are typically the highest converting terms and the brand can manage those terms to drive a lower Cost-per-Action (CPA).
•Many companies will not allow the Affiliates to have their branded terms in the ad copy.
•Some will not allow any Affiliates to use PPC at all. It can be redundant and negatively affect both campaigns.
•Some companies will not allow brand names anywhere on the Affiliate’s website.
•Frequent prohibitions that brands may have include: cookie stuffing, direct linking, copycat sites and parasites, which should be monitored closely.
Paying attention to the marketing rules of a brand can be tricky. Even when not intentionally veering from them, an Affiliate might not pick up on a technicality hidden within the fine print. But intentional or accidental, the problem of adhering to the guidelines is so pervasive that special software has been created for the very purpose of keeping Affiliates in line.

In an ideal situation, Paid, SEO and Affiliate teams would be managed by the same agency, brand or company. This way, the components will be in sync and bring more revenue for less, limiting duplicative performance metrics. People may not buy as soon as they see the company in one channel.

More intensified guidelines should be put into place to regulate the rivalry between Affiliate and Search teams. As stated, the best plan is to stay grounded and basic. Test what ad words (preferably low cost) are purchased, and above all, make sure that brand’s particular guidelines are being followed to a 'T' in their Terms of Service.

EGC's 25th Anniversary & Holiday Party: A Memorable Evening

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:40:39 GMT

"Best Party Ever!"; "You guys really outdid yourselves this time!" "Wow! The food, the people, everything was just amazing!" "There was some buzz in that room…best party this year, possibly ever!"

The emails and phone calls poured in the days after EGC's 25th Anniversary/Holiday Party. Over 200 employees, clients, and friends celebrated at the beautiful Jericho Terrace, dining, enjoying each other's company, and playing at the casino all night long. From the fresh lobster and seafood displays to the tender porterhouse steaks and other delicious food, the fantastic 6 piece band played smooth jazz and classic standards that captured the spirit of the party and made the party one for the ages. At least until EGC's 50th Anniversary. Hope to see you all there!

Click here to see photos from the party: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270548&id=46903848536

EGC's employees supported Toys For Tots again this year with a generous donation of toys.

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:31:07 GMT

Photo of the toys can be seen on The EGC Group website.

Melville ad agency to celebrate its success

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:35:02 GMT

Newsday article (PDF)

Driving diversity toward dollars – Advertisers discover thriving new populations -- source: LIBN

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:31:30 GMT

Long Island Business News article (PDF)

The EGC Group's Digital Team Expands Again with Addition of Search Marketing Specialist

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:20:09 GMT

New York – Today, more and more consumers rely on search to look up products, brand names and services via search engines. As search marketing continues to grow in 2010, The EGC Group remains at the forefront and has met the search marketing needs of our clients and their potential customers. To supplement that effort, EGC Digital has added Anne Chen, Search Marketing Specialist, to the Search and Digital Team.

With the aid of Anne’s expertise, EGC clients will continue to benefit from best practices in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) services.

Anne will add her expertise to maximize the visibility and products and services of such clients as Brother International, Sterling Optical and Storage Deluxe, among others.

In addition to degrees in Business Administration and Marketing from the Foundation Armando Alvares Penteado in Brazil, Anne has a Masters in Computer Science from Queens College. Her professional experience and tech savvy were strengthened with positions held in Client Services and Technical Support for companies such as Computer Associates, IBM, and Telcordia. For the past six years, she has developed search engine strategies for world-renowned brands such as Bloomingdale’s, Coach, Vonage, Match.com, and The Harvard Business Review.

In announcing the hire, Nicole Larrauri, Managing Partner of the EGC Group, noted “As one of the first full-services agencies to begin a Digital Department back in 1997, we are proud of the Agency’s growth in this area. Never before have we seen media change so quickly in the marketing and advertising industry, and our rapid digital growth is a sign of that change. We are proud to welcome Anne to the team.”

About The EGC Group:
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing agency based in Melville, New York with an office in Manhattan. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and was recently voted Best Advertising Agency by LI Business News. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

Melville ad agency goes 3-D online for client

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:19:13 GMT

By JAMES BERNSTEIN
-- Reprinted from Newday.com

At first glance, it may seem that James Cameron, the writer and director of the megahit film "Avatar," and Ernie Canadeo, president of EGC Group Inc., the Melville-based advertising and marketing firm, have little in common.

But look again - and look using 3-D glasses.

"Avatar" was said to be a hit, in part, because it brought about a revival of 3-D. Canadeo and EGC's managing partner, Nicole Larrauri, have made some history, too: EGC says it has become one of the first firms in the country to make an ad using 3-D technology.

EGC's ad was for Brother International, a Bridgewater, N.J.-based maker of home appliances, including embroidery equipment.

"There were a lot of competitors [to Brother International] that launched [embroidery] models at the same time," Larrauri said. "Our intention was to cut through the clutter and gain consumer interest." Through an online campaign, 6,000 people signed up to see the 3-D ad, Larrauri said. EGC mailed 3-D glasses to potential customers and retailers.

Canadeo said EGC did the creative work on the ad and contracted with a Nashville production company for the technical side.

3-D promises to grow tremendously, Larrauri said. "We started talking about 3-D with production companies in January, and only a few had worked in 3-D before," she said. "Now more than a few work in 3-D."

The EGC ad was made only for the Internet. See it at brother-usa.com/nextdimension.

Make sure you have your 3-D glasses.

Planning Your 2011 Marketing Budget

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:09:13 GMT

Take our Online Poll!

September is the time that most marketers begin to plan for 2011. While many spent the summer focusing on the challenges and opportunities of Q3 and Q4 2010, it’s important to have started the 2011 planning during those months. If you haven’t started, it’s not too late; here are some important factors to consider.

First, you must start with an audit of your previous marketing efforts and 2010 strategies. There are several steps involved with this; here is a checklist of some recommended assessments:

Customer and End-User Research: Have you gauged consumer or client sentiment this year? Was your last client discovery session or customer study a few years ago? The economy has changed tremendously, and it has likely changed your customers’ buying behaviors. If you haven’t done a 2010 client, customer or brand study, this is the first place to start.

Online Reputation Management and Social Sentiment: What are people saying on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn about your brand or company? What are they saying about your competitors? No matter what your business or industry, people are likely talking about you. By using the right tools and analytics, The EGC Group team can assess what your online reputation is, and determine a plan to fix it or enhance it.

Data Analytics: OMMA published a great article in late June, titled “Math Men” on how metrics are changing the way agencies can deliver value to clients. There is more opportunity than ever to marry your Search analytics to your Web analytics to your Traditional Media analytics to your Customer Information. The result of this process is a deeper knowledge of what efforts are yielding the best ROI with each customer type.
Second, you must expand your definition of marketing. A lot has evolved—and quickly—during 2010, and there are many tactics that may not have been a part of your consideration set or plan in 2010. Here are just a few to consider:

Social Media: This isn’t new and was probably part of your 2010 plan. However, the concept of putting strategies and budgets behind Social is a new concept for many marketers. Throughout 2010, advertisers and brands raced to develop Social Media profiles—but only half of them really used Social Media the right way. Forrester Research predicts an increase of 34% in Social Media budgets in 2011. Don’t have a Social Media strategy budget? First step—find one. Social media is like any other effort—it doesn’t happen without planning or resources. It will also never truly take hold without a “big idea” behind it.

Mobile: Do you have an app for that? In 2011 more of the people that are seeking out your company will do so on a mobile device—and you need to be certain they can find you, and that you can capture their information and convert them through their iPhone, Android or Blackberry.

Online Video: I was welcomed this morning by an email from Saks Fifth Avenue and their video catalog. Not only did this make me almost run out and buy everything in it, but it confirmed my belief that online video will be on the rise in 2011, as more site visitors now expect a higher level of engagement. We at EGC are helping clients make online video a reality with the introduction of our new Content Development Studio.

Public Relations, Brand Ambassadors, and Event Marketing: Look for these to be on the increase in 2011 as marketers continue to engage consumers in more direct and meaningful ways. Enhanced search engine optimization, branded online content and e-CRM programs are also expected to be on the rise in 2011, and will be covered in future articles.

Foursquare 101

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:07:54 GMT

While growing in importance, Foursquare and other geo-location social sites are often left out of social networking planning because of their newness, and because of the simple fact that people just don’t “get” them. As Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Places and others are expected to become increasingly important and prevalent in 2011, check out this FourSquare 101 to help you get up to speed.

What it is:

Foursquare is a social media platform/city guide/game that rewards the user for “doing interesting things.”

Available only on smart phones, it allows users to know where their friends are, and get rewarded with badges and “mayorships” for doing new things or meeting new people. The service can link to Facebook and Twitter to update those communities on where the user is and what they’re doing. “Mayors” are those who check into a location the most within a 60 day period. Users give tips, do’s and don’ts of each location, making it an online review site as well. Recently, Bing Maps has integrated Foursquare data to show tips, venue info, etc.

How most brands are currently using it:

Many retailers, restaurants, hotels and others are offering discounts for the mayor of their businesses.

Starbucks has embraced Foursquare by offering $1 off coupons to several products to those who are mayors.

Foursquare’s business page makes in-store materials available to those businesses who have claimed their venue, but only a few have started to display them.

Some untapped opportunities:

Incentivizing the masses: While many are offering mayor discounts, smarter advertisers are offering discounts or promotions to anyone who checks into their locations. Like any other mass media coupon, this should be something that could be honored for many – while leaving the bigger discounts for the mayors.

Review of honest feedback: The tips section of Foursquare includes honest feedback of what’s best and sometimes what’s worst at a restaurant, venue, etc. Business owners should be reviewing this frequently and maximizing the feedback learned. For example, you might not have known that your restaurant was home of the “city’s best margarita” and perhaps it’s something worth weaving into your traditional advertising and PR messaging.

Tracking and Analytics: Foursquare offers services to share customer behavior with neighborhood businesses. While the data is useful, it is somewhat limited and should be part of a deeper and global social networking analytics.

Event Marketing: Companies can promote community events, trade shows and outside events that they are attending, and award specials for those who check in.

B2B Marketing: Foursquare is not just for retail. B2B companies should be using the trade show idea, as well as assigning their corporate locations as venues.

For more questions on how to best integrate Foursquare and other Social Networking sites into your marketing plan, feel free to call!

Enter the Next Dimension of Advertising

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:06:52 GMT

EGC Brings 3D to Life in Summer Product Launch

Q: What do the Masters Golf tournament, Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby and the launch of Brother International Corporation’s new multi-needle home embroidery machine all have in common?

A: They were all broadcast in 3D, ahead of what is sure to be a furiously winding curve of 3D integration in entertainment and advertising.

That’s right, 3D isn’t just taking its place at the head of the class at the movie theatre with blockbuster hits like Avatar and Alice In Wonderland, but it is also quickly finding its place in mainstream entertainment with the introduction of 3D television sets and programming, as well as in advertising.

Advertising heavy hitters Visa and Samsung both tossed their hats into the 3D advertising ring earlier in 2010, with outdoor and television advertising in 3D that promoted their products. EGC client Brother International Corporation joined them this summer as the first company in the sewing industry to use 3D to attract customers to their new high-end, 10-needle home embroidery machine, the Entrepreneur® Pro PR-1000.

“At Brother, we pride ourselves on being innovative, always ahead of the curve, so announcing this new product in 3D just made sense. This machine has incredible features that have to be seen to be believed, so we really wanted potential customers to be able to see them up close and personal,” said Dean F. Shulman, Senior Vice President of Brother’s Home Appliance Division.

As more advertisers dip a toe into the 3D pool, they will likely encounter the same questions and challenges as EGC in developing effective 3D marketing. How do you promote a 3D launch that distinguishes the product and makes the launch as much about the PRODUCT as the delivery method? How do you efficiently get 3D glasses into the hands of your core prospect? And most importantly, is all the effort required for 3D worth it?

EGC teased the launch with a range of marketing tactics that teased the fact that the launch was in 3D, while also teasing key features of the new product. Every piece—from online banners and emails to lenticular in-store counter cards and print ads—used color-shifted anaglyph-friendly embroidery imagery to convey the message that this was about both embroidery AND 3D. Pieces encouraged prospects to sign up through a dedicated teaser microsite to receive 3D glasses, necessary for viewing the launch of “the next dimension in embroidery.” Upon arriving at the site, prospects were greeted to a Flash piece that replicated the effects of 3D, and a simple consumer-friendly sign-up form that allowed them to easily request glasses.

For the 3-minute launch video, EGC developed a detailed frame board that guided the video production company through every visual and transition, handing the board over just six weeks before the live August launch. And then came the hard part for everyone—waiting! 3D rendering is a lengthy process and requires patience, which in the fast-paced world of advertising is something no one is used to. The first 0:37 seconds of the video took weeks to produce and render—but were well worth the wait. Upon delivery of the final video, everyone could finally understand why 3D will become the next big thing.

During the time the video rendered, EGC was busy developing launch materials for the Entrepreneur® Pro that would continue “the next dimension in embroidery” positioning, as well as ensuring 3D glasses were delivered to prospects in time for the launch. To deliver the 6,000+ glasses to those who opted-in affordably, EGC developed a simple self-mailer with perf-off glasses, rather than sending full glasses in an envelope, which would increase production and postage expenses. This allowed for First Class mailing of the piece, rather than risking the delay of Third Class. As glasses started arriving in homes the week before the August 16th launch, bloggers and Fans of BrotherSews on Facebook started commenting that they couldn’t wait to see the new machine.

Brother hosted their annual dealer conference, Back to Business, in Nashville in August, where the 3D video was played live in front of an audience of 400+ dealers, employees and media representatives. Sporting Brother-branded 3D glasses, the audience cheered wildly during and at the end of the video. The video, as well as a 2D version for those who did not want to opt-in for glasses, was released to the public at noon the same day, viewable on the dedicated product site. Over 6,000 people viewed the video the first day, with over 10,000 viewing it the first week it was available.

Was the effort for the 3D launch a success? By all accounts, yes. Excited posts to Brother’s Facebook page noted how exciting the video was, with dozens of people saying they wanted to buy the machine before ever seeing it in person! Pre-orders for the machine have exceeded expectations, and again, Brother has shown their customers that their innovation extends far beyond their incredible product line.

To view the 3D video, visit www.brother-usa.com/nextdimension. For information on how EGC can help you enter the world of 3D advertising, contact us today!

Does Product Placement Work?

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:06:12 GMT

A plane has been seen flying by, towing yet another banner advertisement – a very simple design, all black, with two words in white: “Avion Tequila.”

Those familiar with the hit HBO series Entourage know that Avion Tequila has been playing a major role in this season’s story line. This then prompts the question: “Is this tequila for real or is it some sort of weird promo for the show?” Upon a quick online search, this was the answer that was found:

Avion Tequila was launched this summer in New York and L.A. by Marquis Jet founder Kenny Dichter (which makes sense since Avion means "Airplane" in Spanish). Kenny and Entourage creator, Doug Ellin, met each other in elementary school 35 years ago in Merrick, NY. The cost for all this publicity and buzz: $0. Since HBO is an advertising-free channel, Elin could not charge for product placement, which also meant Dichter had no control of how the product was used in the show.

Dichter is certainly getting a ton of publicity, but does the consumer know it’s an actual product? As the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity; especially since launching a new liquor can end up costing upwards of $25-50 million in advertising. Breaking into the high-end world of premium liquor is certainly tough – often being backed by musicians, actors and other celebrities. The Entourage demo is certainly the right platform to introduce this brand (18-34 male), so it will be interesting to see if Avion takes off.

Unthinking the KFC Campaign

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:05:19 GMT

Why Franchisee Opinions Matter

KFC franchisees want to deep fry their corporate marketing department right now…and with good reason.

Recently, the corporate parent, Yum! Brands launched an “Unthink KFC” campaign. The campaign has been intended to educate consumers about the healthier side of KFC.

Franchise owners are so unhappy that they are reportedly suing for control of the advertising and marketing. Unfortunately, grilled chicken products have only accounted for no more than 15 percent of the total business.

Franchisees argue that consumers don’t want go to a restaurant like KFC for a healthy meal. While it’s the right thing to offer health options for those who have no choice but to eat at a KFC, it’s not the right strategy to force a healthy positioning on a brand it’s not right for.

White Castle, for example, would not have positioning based on their limited healthy options. Positioning has to be based on what the brand really means to the consumer. The positioning of “cravings” is perfect for White Castle. KFC needs a positioning that speak to the fact their fried chicken is more delicious, more special than other fried chicken offerings now available (and sold very well) at other fast food restaurants.

However, what went wrong here isn’t as much about the wrong positioning. When dealing with a franchise or dealer channel, the value of buy-in throughout all channels cannot be overlooked. There had to have been franchisee research before this campaign was put together. If not, a critical step was missed. If the franchisees or dealers in question don’t want to sell it, consumers aren’t going to buy it.

EGC Welcomes New Clients

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:04:32 GMT

EGC is excited to announce two new clients who have joined forces with us in an effort to grow awareness of their brands and increase sales:

Brother Industrial Products Division (IPD)
EGC has been the Agency of Record for Brother International Corporation’s HAD (Home Appliance Division) for over five years. Now, we are excited to announce that that Brother’s IPD has also designated EGC as their AOR. IPD produces an exciting array of products for industrial use, including embroidery and sewing machines and printers. EGC’s first work for IPD will be for their line of garment printers, with a goal of growing sales for both the GT-541 and GT-782 by the end of the Brother fiscal year. Initiatives, already in progress, include aggressive television and online media campaigns, direct marketing tactics and end user research. Look for the Brother GT-541 television spot—shot in the new EGC Content Development Studio—to launch in late September.

For more information on Brother, visit www.brother-usa.com.

Cardiometabolic Support Network
Cardiometabolic Support Network (CMSN) provides ongoing support and guidance to members who are committed to life-changing weight loss, pairing those needling weight loss to a team of counselors, registered dieticians and like-minded members who can understand the challenges and rewards of the weight loss journey. For CMSN, EGC will complete research, help better define the brand to end-users, and also develop a brand platform, including consumer-friendly name, logo and look and feel. Beyond development of branded materials and an overall marketing strategy, EGC and CMSN expect to extend their relationship into the future with EGC developing a consumer-reaching campaign to help prospective members better understand the services offered by CMSN.

For more information on CMSN, visit www.cmsnonline.com.

EGC Spotlight! Summer Employee Appreciation Party

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:03:47 GMT

On September 2nd, EGC employees gathered to bid adieu to a busy summer at Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach. To see the photos, visit our Facebook page, and if you “Like” what you see, be sure to let us know!

EGC Group facilitates a multi-year agreement for the naming rights to Live Nation’s Theatre At Westbury to the NYCB Family of Banks.

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:57:25 GMT

The NYCB Family of Banks, including New York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, and Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company, today announced a multi-year agreement that gives New York Community Bancorp, the banks’ corporate parent, the naming rights to the Theatre at Westbury, located in Westbury, NY. The agreement was facilitated by The EGC Group of Melville, NY. Beginning today, the theater will be called the NYCB Theatre at Westbury.

The NYCB Theatre at Westbury, operated by Live Nation, can accommodate 2800 people and hosts approximately 120 concerts per year. Some of the well-known acts on this summer’s lineup include The Beach Boys, The Counting Crows, Asia, Gov’t Mule, and Johnny Mathis.

Ernie Canadeo Appointed to Stony Brook University's Alumni Board

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:03:21 GMT

-- Reprinted from Stony Brook Matters newsletter.

Some people can't leave well enough alone. Take Ernie Canadeo '77.

Seems that his ability to recognize untapped potential - whether it's his clients' businesses, Stony Brook students, or the Stony Brook Alumni Association - is just in his DNA.

Ernie's expertise helps explain why his company, The EGC Group, celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year as one of Long Island's top advertising and marketing firms. EGC was also voted Long Island's top agency by Long Island Business News readers, and was listed in Inc. Magazine's 500/5000 businesses in 2009.

Along the way, an untold number of Stony Brook students have benefited from Ernie's visionary support for their talents and ambitions. Recently, Ernie's active involvement with Stony Brook, and his marketing reputation caught the attention of the Stony Brook Alumni Association Directors who this year offered him a spot on the Board.

The Alumni Board is eager as ever to increase alumni engagement in ways that are both gratifying to the alums and beneficial to Stony Brook, so Ernie's considerable talents and experience will be critical. "He's just a wow kind of guy," said Board member Joanne Schiefer, "We're thrilled that he's agreed to join the Board and help us reach out more successfully to alums of all generations."

A generation ago, Ernie himself was at Stony Brook where he developed his lifelong passion for music. Along with performing original compositions and classic songs on his guitar on campus ("I did it to pick up girls. It actually worked."), Ernie acquired more employable skills as the arts and music editor of the Statesmen. "I used to interview all the bands that played on campus - even some that didn't. It was thrilling to talk to people like Rick Danko (bass guitarist for The Band) Jeff Lynne from ELO, and Tom Waits."

His experience on campus led to a career in advertising and promotion at RCA Records. He left RCA to open his own advertising agency on Long Island in 1985. The EGC Group, based in Melville, serves industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

The demands of running any business is all consuming, yet Ernie still carves out time to volunteer at several other nonprofits, and on the sidelines (as he coached his sons' Little League team for 5 years). And he's a regular, along with his wife Valerie and twin sons Christopher and Jonathan, at many campus events. It was during a visit to the Staller Center when Ernie heard about the Music department's need to replace their antiquated fleet of pianos with all Steinways.

Ernie, being Ernie, volunteered to purchase the first one. The guy just can't stop himself.

EGC to Participate in CreateAthon 2010

Wed, 19 May 2010 19:04:09 GMT

The EGC Group is excited to announce that it will participate in CreateAthon for the third straight year this September and our entire staff is ready to once again dedicate 24 straight hours to helping a select few nonprofits plan, create and execute comprehensive marketing projects. It is a chance for your organization to receive free advertising agency services, media placement, and more!

The EGC Group is an independent full service advertising agency that's been connecting brands to consumers for 25 years. We’re small (under 75 employees), creative, nimble, and located 30 minutes from Manhattan, so you connect with top talent without the hassle. The EGC Group provides advertising, marketing and dynamic interactive services. Visit egcgroup.com to view client case studies, learn more about the services we provide, and see why we were voted Best Long Island Advertising Agency by the Long Island Business News two years in a row.

CreateAthon became a national pro bono effort in 2001 and has expanded to include over 60 agencies nationwide. It is an innovative opportunity for participating agencies to utilize their expertise, resources and media contacts for the benefit of selected nonprofits. The effort has benefited more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations with projects valued at over $9 million. The event, which will be held September 16-17, 2010, is fun, fast paced and exhilarating. Projects are completed start to finish during one 24-hour period. We’ll be working through the night! Our entire staff will be dedicated to CreateAthon projects and the work will include everything from conceptual development to copy writing and design. Our friendly account services staff will manage the projects and formulate marketing plans. Our award-winning creative department will craft a look, feel and voice that is unique, insightful and effective. Our diligent production department will seek local vendors that are eager to contribute their time, materials and services. Our media staff will utilize their extensive contacts to obtain media placement. It is our goal to make Creatathon a turnkey pro bono effort – all in 24 hours and all the while having a lot of fun!

EGC CreateAthon events have been huge successes. We worked with the Rainforest Alliance, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Dress for Success, Autism United, Art Start, Momma's House, Child Abuse Prevention Services, Family & Children’s Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and North Shore Animal League. Our creative (some of which is attached below) have won several awards and our media department has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of advertising for participating nonprofits. The events have been covered by several media outlets and the nonprofits were thrilled with the results. It won’t be easy, but we’re committed to making this year even bigger and better.

If you have sincere interest in participating, please complete the CreateAthon Application and email or fax it to us at (516) 942-3915 by July 16th. We’ll follow up with a phone call to answer any questions you may have, or you can email danielm@egcgroup.com.

Introducing the EGC Innovation Lab

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:16:10 GMT

How does the adoption of the iPad affect website design and publishing? How can marketers effectively use 3D? What does geolocation mean for you and your customers?

These are just a few of the topics that are currently being addressed by the Innovation Lab at The EGC Group. Formed this year, the Innovation Lab is a high level think tank at The EGC Group tasked with understanding, anticipating, and solving the newest technology implications on marketing. The team at the Innovation Lab works on challenges and opportunities that go beyond the day-to-day needs of clients, to develop technology-fueled solutions to marketing problems.

The Innovation Lab at EGC will also be host to outside industry leaders and regional experts, who will meet on an advisory level with the EGC Team. Ultimately, the Innovation Lab promises to be the Virtual Technology R&D department of the marketing industry and the region.

As quickly as technology is moving, the Innovation Lab at EGC is moving fast. You will be able to read the thoughts, progress and published findings from the Innovation Lab at www.egcgroup.com/innovationlab

Social Networking: More New Developments

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:15:34 GMT

The last month has seen an enormous amount of developments in the social media world. Everything from geolocation to “like” everything, the world of social networking is evolving and doing it quickly. Here is a recap of the most important things that have happened in the last month or so.

1.Promoted Tweets – Launched by Twitter as a way to develop a revenue stream, promoted tweets allows advertisers to highlight specific tweets to drive traffic and interest for products, websites, promotions or simply their Twitter page. Promoted tweets, launched with a select group of advertisers, will allow advertisers to promote themselves through a tweet once they are opened to the public. There will be a built-in checks and balance system for ads that don’t engage users. Promoted tweets of an advertiser will disappear if the ads don’t resonate with users. If nobody favorites the ad, or replies to it etc., it will simply go away.

2.Facebook “like” – You might have noticed when you were on Facebook recently that the “become a fan” button was replaced by “like”. You might have also been on CNN or any number of other sites that are already linked with Facebook which will allow you to “like” a certain article, product, song, etc. You might have also seen a stream on those sites that tell you what your friends are reading or “liking”. This is a bid by Facebook to make the entire web social, and some might argue all of us would like that, and have it tailored to our likes and dislikes, which leads us to Facebook Open Graph.

3.Facebook Open Graph – This could change a whole lot in the future. The “like” functionality actually lives under the Open Graph project. Essentially, what Open Graph boils down to is a mapping of everything on the Internet and how these maps interconnect to each other. It could likely alter how everything is done online. Site could personalize content to us and provide a larger scope of whatever we are looking at. This could affect everything from shopping to online search. Could you imagine search based on a social graph? Try SEOing that.

4.Geolocation – The last big thing in the last month has been geo-location. That’s not to say that geolocation hasn’t been around for awhile, but it appears to be coming into its own this year with Facebook and Twitter making investments. Have you heard of Foursquare or Gowalla? Well they are leading the charge as we speak. For local businesses (especially restaurants, bars and other areas where people hang out or frequent), I would suggest you look into them. They are opportunities to drive repeat and new business.
EGC Digital and the Innovation Lab at The EGC Group are currently researching and determining the best use of these up and coming services for our clients. We look forward to reporting back to you the integration of these tools in the near future.

How Apple's iPad Will Change Your Business

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:14:50 GMT

April 3rd, Apple released a “new” product called the iPad which you may have heard of. This iPad, while not a new category, completely reinvented it’s space. Living somewhere between the iPhone and a laptop, the iPad is that perfect device that you can carry to read books, your email, surf the web, and much more. It lacks the business end for now, but that will likely change as apps are built specifically for business.

Some might think there is no need for a device of this category, but what many don’t realize is that millions have been buying this category for awhile now. You might know it as a netbook, a laptop that really can’t do much but email, web surf and light business work. The iPad gives you a tool that allows you to do all that the netbook does and a lot more. It’s intuitive software design, and just like the iPhone, is easy to use and pick up.

Enough about the iPad itself. The question is—what are the ramifications of its launch and where is the tipping point? For one thing, web design needs to be rethought. If there is mass adoption of the device, web designers and developers must take the new dimensions into account as well as the use of HTML5 as Flash will not be supported by the iPad. In addition, developing customer apps in the iPad format might become a way to have a constant presence with your customers and prospective customers.

When will we know we have reached a tipping point? Well, we could base it on the number sold. I would imagine if it reaches the ubiquity of the iTouch or iPod then there is no question we reached mass scale. However, there may be another way to tell how the adoption of the device is going and what it’s future potential will be. We would look to healthcare, schools and businesses adopting the iPad as a way to get data into a person’s hands quicker and provide them with the tools in what they need in a mobile device. There are already stories out there of hospitals buying iPad in bulk to replace their current tablets. Business adoption for sales teams and education usage will likely follow, and this could be where the iPad grabs hold. This also raises the profile of cloud computing as the iPad makes cloud computing a requirement. If you want a netbook or need to replace one, look at the iPad. You will get a lot more than a netbook could deliver.

EGC Creates Big NJ Presence for Optimum Lightpath

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:14:11 GMT

The Assignment: Create a big presence for Optimum Lightpath in the critical New Jersey business market. Communicate that Optimum Lightpath empowers and enables smart businesses.

The Solution: Big, bold three-dimensional billboards combined with effective placements in the most trafficked portions of Northern New Jersey.

The Result: The campaign may be new, but many NJ commuters have already reported noticing these smart, impactful billboards.

Associate Creative Director Rich DeSimone comments: “Like any good billboard, we want viewers to look twice. By breaking the boundaries of the board and creating the illusion of peeling paper, we get them to look, read and absorb. That’s the idea, isn’t it?”

EGC Launches Successful Campaign for Leading Pharmaceutical Company

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:51:09 GMT

EGC is proud to showcase the work we’ve done with Fougera®, the generic topical manufacturer of choice for customers nationwide. In late February, Fougera® launched Imiquimod, a cream used to treat certain diseases of the skin. This medication is an integral part of the Fougera® product line and was set to be the largest launch for the company in years. EGC was tasked with developing a comprehensive launch plan and designing the creative to announce the big launch. We decided that we had to make our announcement in the biggest way possible. There was no bigger way to say it than to declare it loud and clear: “I’m Here”. As fortune would have it, “I’m” became the perfect mnemonic fit for Imiquimod and when combined with Fougera’s signature yellow, a powerful introductory message worked in harmony with a powerful branding symbol. All in all, the cornerstone of a hugely successful introductory campaign: Im Here—Imiquimod.

Things to Consider Before Hiring a Spokesperson

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:53:03 GMT

In the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal, the question of “is it worth it” when it comes to celebrity endorsement has again come center stage. We at The EGC Group are ready to explore the topic, and want to take the debate one step beyond, and look at these risks and rewards vs. those of hiring actors and creating fake personalities to endorse your brand.

When you hire a celebrity to represent your brand, your company is exposed to the potential backlash should that person’s star fade—both professionally and personally. Perhaps the most important question when hiring the celebrity to be the face of your brand is what they truly represent as it relates to your brand, and if you can survive any number of potential “casualties” to their image.

Let’s use Tiger as an example. When Nike hired him as an endorser, it was no doubt that the fact that he had a clean, wholesome image was a benefit—but it was likely more icing on the cake than anything else. At the end of the day, Nike wants Tiger to represent supreme athleticism, perseverance and dedication… which, whether you like what he did or not, you can’t deny Tiger still does represent. This enabled and justified Nike in making the bold decision to stand by him. Our guess—the red shirt Tiger will wear on Sunday at the Masters will, like all of his red Sunday tournament shirts, reap millions of dollars of sales for Nike. If he wins, Nike should see sales through the roof. If he fails miserably, Nike will suffer as they always do when Tiger underperforms on the greens—but little will have to do with the scandal in his personal life, because Nike is aligned with Tiger the athlete, not Tiger the guy.

Now, Gillette and Tiger are a different story. It was, we would guess, more than icing on the cake that Tiger had a wholesome image when Gillette hired him to be one of the faces of “the best a man can get.” This is a personal care product—and as his personal life turns into tabloid fodder, it’s understandable why Gillette would seek to minimize Tiger’s image in their marketing. Companies like Gillette, TAG Heuer and Accenture are all more aligned with Tiger the guy, the overall package, than just Tiger the athlete, which explains their decisions to minimize his image in the wake of his scandal. It will take time before non-sports-affiliated companies can feel comfortable using his likeness—if ever again.

The moral of the story? You never know what your endorser will do, so try to align yourself with their greatest asset that makes sense for your company, and have a disaster plan in place.

Not willing to take the risk? Then why not just create a fake endorser? Hire an actor and create a face for your brand. Apple did it, so it must be brilliant, right?

Maybe. But there are risks there, too. What happens when your actor gets somewhat famous on his own? Will Apple suffer if Justin Long does something to feed the tabloids? Or is he benign because The Mac Guy is a character? Is it okay if Justin Long prefers Dell? These are muddy waters; ones that we’re certain Apple and other companies who make up fake endorsers hope they don’t need to experience any time soon.

We recently had a chance to ponder the “fake endorser” question when we heard a radio commercial for a local company I’m familiar with. The spot was a testimonial, and one we’d actually heard from the company last year. What struck us between last year’s commercial and this year’s iteration was that the voice of the man singing his praises was different between the two! The company was trying to represent two different people as the voice of one story. It suddenly made us wonder—were they both actors? Was the first guy the REAL guy, and why was he replaced? It really just left a question as to if the story was real at all… which certainly, we can assume, was not the company’s intention.

The moral of this story—if you’re going to create a fake endorser, make it clear the endorser is a character. Don’t try to represent them as something they aren’t—you’ll just make the consumer wonder if they can trust you.

Growth at The EGC Group: EGC Announces Four New Hires

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:55:00 GMT

The EGC Group is pleased to welcome four new professionals to the growing EGC Family.

•Doug Bartow has joined as Art Director. As Creative Director at Grey Worldwide he demonstrated a talent for creating work that achieved high marks for clients like Bloomingdale’s, Toys R Us, and Red Lobster. In the technical arena, Doug led the team that won the Sprint Business account, and awards for 3M. At EGC, Doug is working on all forms of media, from print to outdoor to websites and online experiences.

•Robin Matejka has joined as Account Manager. Robin joins The EGC Group after an extensive media and account management career at leading NY-based agencies. Her background includes media buying and media supervision at Media Edge and Group M as well as account management at Katz Media. Her client list includes Paramount Movie Pictures, Lincoln Mercury, AT&T, Jaguar, Met Life, PetsMart, Payless, Bridgestone Tires, Campbell’s, Vanguard, and Volvo.

•Victoria Linscott has joined as Account Coordinator. Victoria’s background includes a PR at Versace as well as account management at a leading promotions agency. Victoria brings energy and enthusiasm to account service, as well as an inherent knowledge of social media.

•Amanda Hirsh has joined as Executive Assistant. Amanda was recently an Executive Assitant to the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Hearst Corporation. She has also held similar positions at General Motors and Bulgari.

Window Phone 7 – Apple Beware?

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:53:57 GMT

Microsoft launched their Windows Phone 7 platform last week in Barcelona, Spain, and if what they showed is any indication, they are playing for keeps. Windows Mobile currently ranks third behind Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone. However, with the release of the new Windows Phone platform, there is widespread speculation that Microsoft can take back the number two spot from Apple.

Microsoft has a stronger position over Apple when it comes to the adoption of technology, simply because the majority of businesses use Microsoft products, including Microsoft Exchange. It is easier for businesses—and ultimately their employees—to adopt software that is compatible with their current systems. The problem for Microsoft when it comes to mobile phones has always been that their user interfaces have not been as easy to navigate as others, like Apple’s iPhone, which revolutionized mobile interfaces. However, Microsoft has realized the importance of mobile in the company’s future, and has rebuilt the platform from the ground up. Focusing on integration with social networking, Xbox and its Zune music player, Windows Phone 7 has the trappings of being a real player, even possibly on par with Apple’s iPhone. All this being said, until we actually get to play with it and use it we won’t know for certain… but we’re excited to try it, and once we do, we’ll let you know what we think.

EGC Wins Eight Educational Advertising Awards in National Competition

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:08:51 GMT

The EGC Group is proud to accept eight Educational Advertising Awards for the creative development of outdoor, online and print advertising for three of the agency’s academic clients—Briarcliffe College, the Culinary Academy of Long Island and the Star Career Academy.

The Educational Advertising Awards is the largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. This year, over 2,000 entries were received from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries. The EGC Group is proud to receive eight awards this year including:

•GOLD: Outdoor - Briarcliffe College - Choose a Field and Run With It
•SILVER: Direct Mail Advertising - Briarcliffe College - The Cure For An Unhealthy Job Market
•SILVER: Newspaper Single Ad - Culinary Academy of Long Island - Perfect Place to Start
•BRONZE: Poster - Briarcliffe College - Choose a Field and Run With It
•BRONZE: Newspaper Series - Briarcliffe College - Print Ad Series
•MERIT: Newspaper Single Ad - Briarcliffe College - Career Training Starts Here
•MERIT: Web Site - Culinary Academy - www.culinaryacademy.edu
•MERIT: Web Site - Star Career Academy - www.starinstitute.com
Judges for the Educational Advertising Awards consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals, as well as the editorial board of Higher Education Marketing Report. The Higher Education Marketing Report has been the nation’s leading marketing publication for higher education professionals for the past 25 years. The monthly publication is read each month by thousands of marketers at colleges and universities throughout the country.

“We are pleased to receive eight Educational Advertising Awards for our creative work in both traditional and online advertising. Award-winning work is what we strive to achieve—for all of our clients at the agency,” explained Ernie Canadeo, president of The EGC Group.

The EGC Group was founded in 1985 and provides branding, marketing, and interactive services to national and regional companies including Brother International, Emerging Vision, and Jiffy Lube. It is ranked among the Top Advertising Agencies in the United States by Advertising Age and was selected as an Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Company in 2009. It has consistently been voted as Long Island’s Best Advertising Agency, is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA’s), and is the recipient of hundreds of creative awards. The EGC Group is based in Melville, New York. For more information on The EGC Group, or to see examples of the agency’s award-wining work, visit www.egcgroup.com.

About The EGC Group:
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing agency based in Melville, New York with an office in Manhattan. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top 350 Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and was recently voted Best Advertising Agency by LI Business News. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare. For more information, please visit www.egcgroup.com.

EGC Brings Harmony to Stony Brook University Music Department

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:46:27 GMT

EGC President Ernie Canadeo was invited to attend a piano recital at Stony Brook’s recital hall by Andrea Christie, a doctorate student, who has been practicing on a new Steinway piano made possible in part by EGC.

Introducing the EGC iPhone App: The Latest Marketing News, Trends and Videos Delivered Right to Your Phone.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:57:55 GMT

The EGC Group has introduced a free iPhone application where users can access updated industry, marketing, advertising and digital news, articles, features, and videos, as well as content feeds from their EGC Twitter accounts. Want to know the advertising implications of the iPad? Interested in learning the best way to build a website? Want to see the best and the brightest TV spots? Interested in what Google has been up to? It’s all available on the EGC App, which is available for download on iTunes.

There are approximately 214 million iPhones and iPods sold, and each have an average of 50 apps. EGC understands the importance of this growing trend, and has built the application as a way for clients, friends, partners and marketers to get up-to-the minute access to the comprehensive marketing blog Connect, as well as feeds from twitter@egcgroup. In addition to offering The EGC Group app, EGC also offers app development services to clients as well.

So, connect with the new EGC iPhone app and learn how to better connect with customers. Visit www.itunes.com.

Who Needs a Marketing Plan When You’ve Got Online Silver Bullets?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:57:18 GMT

Your company has a Facebook page, a dedicated Tweeter for your Twitter account, and you just contracted someone to develop an iPhone app. So who needs a marketing plan when you’re plugged into all the silver bullets of online marketing?!
You do.

You may believe that social networking and iPhone applications that reach your customers are all you need in your marketing plan (hey, Pepsi, you guys doing alright?) but this is not the case. If you’re a frequent reader of The EGC Group newsletter, you know we feel strongly about the importance of making sure your online marketing tactics are more than just tactics, that they are part of a comprehensive, researched integrated marketing plan that combines online media with offline media.

And these online “silver bullets” are not an exception to that rule.

The fact is, the tested and true rules of traditional marketing DO apply to online marketing. The most important rule to follow is that the first step in developing any plan is to make sure the tactics in it are right for your brand. As you would if you were going to produce a TV commercial and buy thousands or millions of dollars of ad inventory on TV, you need to make reasoned, researched, informed decisions about your online marketing buys. You need a strategy that goes beyond “everyone is doing it, so it’s the price of doing business.” Are Facebook and Twitter right for your brand? More importantly—are you sending the right message to your customers by being there? And most importantly—are your customers even there, listening? Do they care, or are you wasting your time?

At The EGC Group, everything we do, plan and develop is informed by some kind of research, including our digital strategy. We research your customers to find out where they are and what to say to them once we find them. Yes, one of the benefits of online marketing over offline is its measurability—it’s easier to know where to find your target customer online than off. And it’s easier to change course if the people we start talking to aren’t the right fit, or aren’t responding to the message. But if you don’t know what to say to them when you find them and start talking, and if it doesn’t communicate your brand in the right way, what’s the point?

Every brand, every client, every campaign—they’re all different. That is why there is no online marketing silver bullet. While we may begin with a plan built around obvious and tested tactics—display ads, search, social media—I assure you that before the campaign has run its planned course (and with the flexibility of online it may be by the end of the day! The hour!) the plan will change. It will be optimized to put dollars and resources toward what is working and eliminate what isn’t. We may find that social networking may not be a good fit for your brand if your customers aren’t there. But we’ll never know if we don’t test it.

EGC Increases PR and Social Media Results through New Agreement with Vocus Software.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:56:45 GMT

The EGC Group recently signed an agreement with Vocus (the world’s most advanced and easy-to-use software application for public relations and media reporting management), to better service agency clients. Vocus allows for quick and easy consolidation of PR efforts which includes an expansive media and reporting database, the ability to reach editors on a highly targeted level, distribution of press releases and news, and a monitoring service for traditional and social media. EGC’s clients all benefit from this new service via increased media coverage, awareness and results.

Of most interest is the ability to monitor social media sites. With Vocus, EGC now has the ability to monitor blogs and online conversations about clients on sites such as Twitter, Technorati, Digg, Delicious, YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook Group Pages.

“Leveraging a technology like Vocus will be a great complement to EGC’s client services,” said Carolyn Woodside of The EGC Group. “Vocus will help us to stay on top of social media conversations in virtually any platform that may impact our clients’ reputations. Overall, it will help us see the impact of our PR and Marketing strategy for our clients.”

There are many options for customized reporting within the software to evaluate the impact of PR and Marketing efforts. Using dozens of real-time charts, online conversations about one’s brand can be analyzed and compared with competitors. Reports can also be manually generated to see if the discussions are positive or negative. There is also the ability to monitor competitors as well—to know who is being discussed the most.

Vocus maintains a searchable database of media coverage and delivers clippings from virtually any print, online and broadcast monitoring service. This feature makes Vocus software the only product with integrated news management capable of receiving electronic news clips from multiple sources, including Vocus News-On-Demand, BurrellesLuce, VMS, and many others.

Like The EGC Group, Vocus has received many notable awards for their achievements, such as being named an Inc. 500 Company, an Upshot 50 Leader in Marketing Technology, and one of Forbes’ 2009 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies, to name a few. Vocus is sure to advance the PR and Marketing client service provided by The EGC Group.

EGC Launches New Campaign for Mather Hospital.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:56:15 GMT

EGC is proud to showcase the work we’ve done with Mather Hospital. Located in Port Jefferson, Mather Hospital is a pioneer and leader in healthcare. Since its founding in 1929, the hospital has provided advanced, patient-centric care and remains focused on serving the community. EGC was tasked with highlighting three of the many specialty services and programs offered at Mather Hospital: The Fortunato Breast Health Center; joint replacement surgery; and eye surgery. Directed by Associate Creative Director Rich DeSimone, the team created a powerful marketing campaign that highlighted Mather’s commitment to excellent healthcare and extraordinary patient care through the eyes of those who have experienced it.

•Mather Hospital Commercial #1
•Mather Hospital Commercial #2
•Mather Hospital Commercial #3
The “Experts in Healing. Specialists in Caring” campaign demonstrates how the medical procedures and caring staff at Mather Hospital result in satisfied patients who live a better, higher quality life. And, we aren’t done yet; stay tuned for more–including online initiatives.

EGC Digital…Growing While Helping Clients Grow Online.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:55:37 GMT

Helping clients connect with their customers is what The EGC Group does best. This practice permeates through to EGC Digital, where our mission is also to connect clients with customers, but through digital mediums. To this end, EGC Digital has been hard at work developing and launching innovative new websites and social media, display ads, search and mobile campaigns in the first part of 2010 for many of our clients. Here’s just a snapshot of what has been keeping us busy:

Website Development
EGC Digital launched three new websites in the beginning of 2010, for a mix of EGC clients across a range of industries. Whether for CARCO Group, Inc., an industry leader in background screening and HR solutions, The Early Years Institute, an authority on childhood development on Long Island, or Inference Data, a key player in the field of e-discovery products and solutions, the sites all have one thing in common—they leverage best practices and new technologies to deliver the best end-user experience possible.

•CARCO Group, Inc.
•The Early Years Institute
•Inference Data
With over a dozen websites in various stages of development, we look forward to showing you more great designs in the very near future that connect our clients with their customers.

Social Media Campaigns
Website development is just the beginning of what’s happening at EGC Digital. We recently launched two brand immersion pages on Facebook that are being used by our clients to foster community involvement and further their conversations with their most engaged customers. Check out both Brother Sewing and London Jewelers and become fans today!

•Brother Creative Corner
•London Jewelers
In addition, we’ve been helping a lot of clients learn to navigate the social media waters and how to infuse YouTube, Twitter and Facebook into their integrated marketing campaigns. They are beginning to agree that marketing is all about distribution now, and that you need to be where your customers are. Both Jiffy Lube of New York and Arnold Chevrolet recently took the plunge, to great results. Join their conversations here:

•JiffyLube YouTube
•JiffyLube Twitter
•Arnold Chevy Twitter
Connecting with New Clients
It doesn’t end at great websites and social media campaigns for EGC Digital! We have recently signed to be the digital agency of record for several clients, including Sterling Optical, Site for Sore Eyes and Jiffy Lube of New York. New search and display campaigns are running for all, in addition to dozens of other clients, and we are excited to be helping them drive their business using digital mediums.

P.S. Text “jiffy” to 839863 to get periodic specials on oil changes and other services. (Yes, we are doing mobile, we’re just not talking about it!)

For 2010 the live Consumer Connection – Event Marketing.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:55:03 GMT

Right now, in the deep freeze of winter you can almost hear event marketers revving their engines, and making preparations for the 2010 warm weather season. There are certain iconic Long Island events that have special meaning to us all. It really seems like summer kicks off with a three day Air Show at Jones Beach, continues with that Strawberry Festival on the North Fork in June, and the annual Fireworks Show at Jones Beach. Then it’s vacation time, ending with Festivals around Labor Day in West Sayville, Brentwood and Captree State Park, as we roll into fall events like the Oyster Festival and the Fall Festival. Long Islanders show an enduring love for gathering together, and of course the terrific food we’re famous for! They come in droves and thoroughly enjoy themselves, riding the rides, petting the animals, buying the crafts and eating!
It’s the perfect atmosphere to introduce or re-connect your product or service with all those consumers. Your presence in a non-commercial, family fun atmosphere is a friendly way to create or maintain top-of-mind awareness, win the customer loyalty battle and begin or continue a one-on-one dialogue with thousands of event patron/consumers, and make that all important connection to what really interests them right where they live.

As EGC’s president, Ernie Canadeo said recently in Marketing & Media in the Great Beyond-2010 +

“Event marketing will continue to be an effective way of connecting with consumers in a personal way, and the use of brand ambassadors [event staffers] at events will be on the rise.”

In 2010, businesses will need every opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the consumers’ loyalty and their increasingly hard won dollar. Being intrinsically linked to an exciting, pleasurable experience benefiting the community’s non-profits is a terrific platform for any company to speak from. Hearts and minds are there to be won. Arrange to make your statement to the customer live at an event.

What is a Facebook brand immersion page and why do you need it?

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:11:35 GMT

A Facebook page is a Facebook page is a Facebook page, right? Well, not exactly. You see, any business can start their own Facebook page and put messages on the wall, get fans and communicate with their fans on Facebook. But in doing this, are you really harnessing the power of Facebook to immerse people into your brand? Maybe not. You see, Facebook allows you to build pages that go beyond the templates they offer. It allows you to break the mold and really create your brand on Facebook. Companies are starting to take advantage of this option, but you would be surprised by how many are not. It really makes the user experience much more exciting on Facebook. The great thing is that you still have the wall and you still have all the tabs you did before.

What does this mean for companies? You can build more enriching experiences and engaging content that motivates your fans and gets them to interact with you. Take, for example, the Brother Sewing Facebook page. EGC Digital created a page where Brother fans can upload their sewing and embroidery creations that were done on Brother sewing machines and share them with the Brother Facebook community. It adds another dimension to Facebook that wouldn’t necessarily be as easily created.

There are other great examples of immersive Facebook pages out there. Coca Cola, Starbucks and Sears all have very interactive Facebook pages that capture their fans’ attention and immerse them into their respective brands. Creating Facebook brand immersion pages is an important step to creating an overall experience within Facebook that further engages customers and fans. It is something that you should consider, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.

The CES Report

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:10:57 GMT

EGC was lucky enough to attend the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It’s always an amazing experience, and this year absolutely beat 2009 in innovation. We’ve recapped the best trends and what they mean to you.

Connect – This is not just the EGC mantra, but was the theme of the entire CES experience. Virtually every company had ways that their products enabled you to be connected, in new ways, all the time. The TV guys introduced TVs that have expanded Internet capability and the ability to support programs like Skype. The auto guys introduced new mobile apps for an enhanced driving experience. Ford Sync introduced apps that support applications like Twitter. Fiat introduced a program that mimics Nike Plus, allowing you to have a better driving experience by giving tips on fuel efficiency, handling advice, etc. All of this caused a bit of a controversy—how much, really, should one do while driving? (Ironically, there was a neighboring booth for TextBlocker, which parents can buy to disable texting/email functions on their teens’ phones once in a moving vehicle.) Sony introduced a Bloggie camera that allows you to edit photos and content in new ways. We saw a demo on this, and it will truly replace the Flip or any other digital camera for bloggers and content creators. In our opinion it was one of the most notable products at CES. This light video camera includes image stabilization technology, a 360-degree lens and software that will allow you to quickly and easily upload content to social networking apps. What does this mean to you, the advertiser? It means embracing the next levels of social media and consumer-generated conversations about your brand, because the tools are out there to make them even more available to the consumer, and to make the process of content development and sharing easier for you.

3D – The box office success of 3D movies like Avatar has fueled interest in the CES release of home 3D TVs. This was where the major TV players invested the most money and booth real estate, and was certainly the biggest deal at CES. Panasonic had made the largest investment in 3D and did the best job of visually presenting it at the show. Samsung won, in our opinion, for best trade show experience, promoting the thinness of their screens and in displaying multiple-screen use in gaming, trading, and sports viewing. Despite the splash at CES, 3D technology will most likely not be in most consumers’ homes for several years. Setting aside the cost of the equipment and the need to wear 3D glasses to experience it, there aren’t many home 3D formats available. Two 3D cable companies so far have committed to 3D content. One is ESPN, who agreed to film 80 3D sporting events in 2010.

Tablets and eReaders – All dominated CES. While eReaders as a whole have had somewhat of a slow start, many predict the use of them to increase in 2010, and Kindle currently has the bulk of the market share. Plastic Logic Que, Spring Design’s Alex, and the Skiff all debuted eReaders at CES with new functionalities that included writing capabilities, the ability to work with Microsoft Office, multi-screens and more. While the world awaits Apple’s release of their tablet, Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer announced their tablet, built by HP, at the keynote address. “The emerging category of PCs should take advantage of the touch and portability capabilities.” If these tablets are truly adopted by consumers, it will affect the way we design and build interactive experiences.

Differentiation – All of the major brands are competing for fewer dollars from fewer and smarter customers. Many did a good job of introducing new key differences to existing products. They also found different ways to market. Polaroid hired Lady Gaga as Creative Director and brought her out to the booth Friday (her brief appearance drew the largest media attention at the show). Samsung introduced an ultra-cool transparent screen (similar to those seen in Avatar), which is still in R&D, which was added to their existing laptop. As marketers, we all need to continue to differentiate our brand, product and service to attract the ever-changing consumer.

Green – All of the major brands realize that it’s not about just marketing, but it’s about true commitment to sustainability in product development. Panasonic released LED Light Bulbs with a 19-year life span. Home energy monitoring screens were introduced where you can control of your home’s energy use and efficiency. Sony introduced a new VAIO laptop, where 23% percent of it is made from recycled CDs. CES in general also went paperless, with little notebooks handed out in the pressroom, and most information exchanged digitally. Green marketing can’t just be lip service anymore—it must show tangible environmental benefits.

Women and Tech – Women represent $20 trillion in purchasing power, and CES dedicated a larger portion than previous years of events and products to women and multi-tasking Moms. From Bluetooth headsets that allow Moms to sync automatically to both their landlines/cell phones, to thermometers that scan a baby’s temperature just through a beam of light, these products solve many modern day problems. Our client, Brother International, participated in Mommy Tech, which was an entire CES section dedicated to Moms and the products that make their lives easier. They received lots of attention from media outlets like CBS and NBC, showing how sewing has gone high-tech with touch screens and built-in cameras.
All and all it was a great show. Check back soon when we’ll have photos from the show, clips from press coverage we received, and more.

How the Trends of CES Will Change the Online World
by Tony Valado

Given the importance of CES to the digital world, I wanted to expand on the CES recap and give you an idea of what this all means for all of us.

Every year, CES gives us a glimpse into the future of technology. This year was no exception, and the new technology will impact online as much as anything we have seen. Three things that will change the way things are done online are tablets, 3D and Internet-connected appliances (TV, DVD, etc.). Let’s go through these developments and see how they will impact the online world in the future.

Tablets

If you keep up with the technology industry, you know these are already out to some degree. The most important and relevant thing here is the rumor that has been swirling on the pending release of the Apple tablet. As the CES recap pointed out, Microsoft launched their tablet Slate at CES, likely to pre-empt the impending release of Apple’s. The questions remain though: what will the Apple tablet be, how will it work, what will be the full range of capabilities? Why is this such a big deal? Well, for a myriad of reasons…

1. Apple has a knack for making their non-computer related products #1 in the market (i.e. iPod and iPhone). While the tablet will be a computer, it is a new market in which Apple can potentially capture or at least increase awareness. This is required, in order for tablets to change online interaction.
2. Web Design – As the CES recap alluded to, tablets will likely alter web design. This assumes that there will be mass adoption. The question is how will this change web design? It will likely be in navigation. As you can imagine, you are using your hand much more so it will require more prominent navigation features (similar to how an iPhone-built website works). In addition, scrolling may be altered to be more of a slide-navigation, similar to how you navigate the iPhone’s home screens.
3. More importantly, depending ultimately on the size, this could become the singular device. Now granted, iPhone users are pretty aware that all they need is their iPhone, but a little more real estate to do a little more power computing would be ideal. This could be your book reader, phone, email, grocery list, etc. However, only time will tell.

3D

3D was all the rage for televisions at CES. While it is still a ways out, you can expect to start seeing it creep into online applications. In fact you can now purchase 3D cameras for your computer. At EGC, we’re already working on how we can apply it to our campaigns, both online and offline. It will help bring brands to life, literally in another dimension. It is a matter of time until the cost of equipment and adoption happen. You will probably see the same life cycle as plasma and LCDs. The only hindrance will be the necessity to wear glasses, but I am confident that entrepreneurial people will develop glasses that you can barely feel you are wearing.

Internet-Connected Appliances

I know, this already exists, but the level of integration is what I am talking about. Right now, my Blu-ray downloads Netflix and plays Pandora, and my TV downloads Blockbuster and has Yahoo. What is happening is that the lines of computer and TV and other appliances are starting to blur. Eventually homes will be equipped with a central nervous system and servers and your television, radio, movies, etc. will all feed through it. There will be no difference between a computer monitor and television. Your TV will even likely dictate the commercials you see based on an infinite amount of data, similar to how we buy online advertising now. We will be able to micro-target our advertising and I expect companies like Google and Microsoft to lead the charge. Is it a coincidence that both are in the TV space?

The future of digital is only beginning. Some day we will step into a world where everything we see is geared to our own personal likes and tastes. It will be dominated by personal devices that allow us to do everything we need and everything will be seamlessly connected through cloud computing. Tablets, 3D and connected appliances are only pieces of what will be a large shift into a completely digital world.

Click here for more photos from the show.

Atlantis Marine World Hires The EGC Group as Agency of Record

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:10:19 GMT

Melville, NY; January 18, 2010 — The EGC Group, a full service marketing and advertising agency announced that it has been selected by Atlantis Marine World, Long Island’s premiere aquarium and family destination.

The EGC Group will provide integrated marketing counsel and support; including marketing planning, creative services, media planning and negotiating. In addition, EGC will build awareness and drive traffic through social media and public relations services. Every effort shall be dedicated to furthering Atlantis Marine World’s positioning as THE destination for interactive fun, adventure and education. “We are very pleased to welcome Atlantis Marine World to the EGC family. Atlantis Marine World is a special place; loved by both local residents and visitors from around the country. We look forward to increasing visibility and building the Atlantis Marine World brand image,” noted Ernie Canadeo, President of The EGC Group.

Atlantis Marine World is in fact a unique place. Visitors can take a Shark Dive, snorkel with tropical fish, feed a stingray, or learn about the region’s environment. The EGC Group was chosen for their ability to communicate these experiences to potential visitors via a suite of integrated marketing services. In making the announcement, Bryan DeLuca, General Manager of Atlantis Marine World added “As Atlantis Marine World celebrates its 10th anniversary with the expansion of our catering facilities, a new exhibition hall, and even a new hotel, EGC will be right alongside this Long Island aquarium in publicizing our ever-growing popularity.”

About Atlantis Marine World Aquarium

Atlantis Marine World (AMW) opened in Riverhead, NY on June 15, 2000, as the first large-scale aquarium to open in New York State in more than 35 years. Situated on 3.2 acres along the Peconic River, AMW is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily (closed December 25). General Admission Rates are $18.50 (plus tax) for Children 3 – 17 and Seniors 62+; $21.50 (plus tax) for Adults 18 – 61; Children 2 and under are always free at AMW. AMW is also the home of The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, New York’s only authorized marine mammal and sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center. Atlantis Marine World was recently ranked by Parents Magazine as one of the “Top Aquariums for Kids.” Additional information can be found at www.atlantismarineworld.com.

About The EGC Group

The EGC Group is a full service boutique marketing and advertising agency based in Melville, New York with offices in Manhattan. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked among the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age, among Inc. 500 l 5000 Fastest Growing Companies and was twice voted Best Advertising Agency by LI Business News. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare. For more information, please visit www.egcgroup.com.

Marketing and Media in the Great Beyond – 2010 +

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:09:50 GMT

By Ernie Canadeo

As the ground continues to shift under our feet, advertisers, agencies, and the media have learned that we must continuously monitor and re-evaluate how to best reach customers using new methods and metrics, how to redefine our business models to remain financially viable, and how to insure we do not become obsolete by reinventing ourselves almost daily as the consumer takes over on their own terms.

If you haven’t done those things, you can stop reading because it’s probably too late to start now. The good news is there is a tremendous opportunity to break new ground, take advantage of educated consumers and introduce them to the wonderful brands we are responsible for in ways we never dreamed possible just a few years ago.

So here’s what I predict for the future of media.

Social media. Increasingly growing in its importance to your brand. Of course your company has a Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and you’ve totally revamped your website within the past year to take advantage of new technology and the integration of social media. If you didn’t, call me, now, and we’ll try to save you. Entire books have been written about social media, and most are already obsolete, as this blog will be in a few hours. So don’t expect to have someone teach you; engage yourself, live it, everyday. Interact with your consumers. Many of us have integrated traditional PR tactics with social media to speak to consumers in cost effective ways. Regardless of who you are in your company’s hierarchy, you can make a difference to your company’s success by using social media.

Is Traditional Media Dead? Well, not dead but many are gasping for breath. Newspapers have taken the biggest hit, and with the exception of the Wall Street Journal (still the world’s greatest newspaper), will continue to show circulation declines and subsequently less advertisers and lower advertising rates. They will all start charging for online content in one way or another but will never see the revenue they previously enjoyed. So prepare to see more cuts in staff and use of national wires for content. Not pretty, but the smart ones will adapt and survive.

Radio will be used as a promotional vehicle, with great live appeal and the ability to generate immediate response. As the automobile industry comes back, radio will see the most immediate bump.

Cable television revenue will continue to grow because of its ability to target its audience. Broadcast television will have less viewers but still command premium rates because there is still no better way to brand a product or reach that audience mass. Look for “live” TV commercials, harking back to the 1950’s and 60’s, and for split screens, with content on one side and a commercial on the other to avoid DVR zapping. Cable news will dominate television news, as broadcast news becomes obsolete; it’s only a matter of time until it finally goes away, as will the concept of “broadcast TV”. It’s all wired or satellite. Ask your kids.

Outdoor (including digital signage) and alternative media will continue to have a niche and a place in a marketing plan for their ability to target locally.

Event marketing will continue to be an effective way of connecting with consumers in a personal way, and the use of brand ambassadors at events will be on the rise.

Digital media. As Wi-Fi becomes ubiquitous, as hand held devices (I still can’t believe what my iPhone can do) replace every other piece of technology man and God created, as people get more comfortable giving their personal information in return for ads and content that they want to see, the digital media possibilities have no boundaries. Those of us who became marketers because we hated math will have to contend with new metrics and ROI when evaluating a marketing plan. Not that that’s a bad thing. And although no one has really figured out mobile marketing yet, it is coming and it will be huge. Yes, it’s all going to be about digital media; everything else will support digital.

So what about creative? Be prepared to see more TV commercials made on the cheap as advertisers look to cut costs and try to connect with consumers who see the world through their iPhone. Look for an increase in “feel good” advertising, and a reluctance to use spokespeople for sports marketing (I wonder why). Advertisers will sponsor entire teams, leagues and events instead of individuals. Get ready to see more employees used as pitch people, showing enthusiasm for the brand, like Best Buy is doing with their Blue Shirts. Consumers trust other consumers. So our advertising must communicate with them, not sell them.

So my crystal ball says that there will still be great creative and more effective ways of reaching the consumer that will make our careers more exciting and fulfilling than ever. And the brands and clients we work for will love us even more.

Happy New Year.

Client Spotlight: CARCO Website

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:09:13 GMT

The EGC Group is happy to announce the launch of a new website for CARCO Group, Inc. (CARCO), www.carcogroup.com. After receiving input from both clients and internal users, CARCO and EGC developed a site that is both intuitive and informative. The site boasts a refreshed brand identity, easy-to-use navigation, and a new suite of features that include an updated news center and an informative blog, “The Intelligence Report.”

“The new CARCO website was built using important input from our end users. We believe it is one of the most informative sites in the industry, yet still simple to use and easy to navigate.” said James Owens, CARCO CEO and President. “As we continue to be a leader in background screening and investigative services, our website will grow with content and information.”

Anyone looking for updated information on background screening, investigation services and vendor screening should bookmark both the new CARCO site and CARCO blog for up-to-date industry and company news and content. In addition, the site will be home to informative white papers available for download as well as an interactive onboarding demo.

For more information visit www.carcogroup.com

About CARCO Group, Inc.

Founded in 1977 CARCO Group, Inc., and its two divisions, is a nationally recognized information services company that provides investigative, fraud detection, and risk mitigation services to large corporations and business entities.

CARCO’s Background Screening Services division and Investigative & Security Consulting division provide comprehensive background investigations on potential and current employees, vendors, customers, and business partners, as well as drug testing and fingerprinting services through alliance partners. CARCO currently conducts over 1,000,000 reports per year system-wide, and its services include self-service portal technology (which eliminates paper-based hiring processes), domestic and international due diligence, and general and financial investigations.

CARCO’s Inspection Services division provides insurance carriers with pre-insurance vehicle inspection reports (underwriting reports) that significantly reduce auto insurance fraud. This service is provided to more than 600 insurance companies through a network of more than 6,000 inspection sites. CARCO inspects more than 1.5 million motor vehicles each year.

The EGC Group Named 2009 Business of the Year

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:10:49 GMT

The Melville Chamber of Commerce today honored The EGC Group as its 2009 Business of the Year in recognition of EGC’s leadership in the business community and its continued support of the Melville Chamber of Commerce. In accepting the award, EGC President Ernie Canadeo said "On behalf of our employees, we thank you for this tribute to The EGC Group. We are dedicated to supporting the community and its members and look forward to continuing our leadership position as one of Long Island’s leading companies."

Saying Goodbye to 2009—EGC Hosts 24th Annual Holiday Party

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:14:56 GMT

On Tuesday, December 15th, EGC staff, clients and partners converged on Chateau Briand in Westbury for the annual EGC Holiday Party. Spirits were high as the 150+ attendees recounted a tough year and looked forward to 2010 with a sense of positive excitement.

In addition to food and spirits, the guests at the party enjoyed an upbeat assortment of party and holiday music, the annual raffle ticket giveaway and dancing. Senior Media Buyer, Alicia Brauneisen, who was spotted line dancing with several EGC co-workers summed up the night best, saying “Like every year, the EGC Holiday party was a huge success! It’s nice to enjoy a night of great music and food among friends and colleagues. I’m already looking forward to next year!”

To view the photos of the event, courtesy of EGC’s de facto party photography, Senior Art Director Steve Commando, click here.

The EGC Group Lends a Hand to Toys for Tots

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:14:03 GMT

Always looking to do our part, the EGC staff recently participated in the annual holiday Marine Toys for Tots Foundation toy drive, donating a selection of new and used toys to benefit underprivileged children across Long Island.

Said President Ernie Canadeo of the effort, “It’s part of the fabric of EGC to give back to the community. It’s been a tough year for many, and I’m pleased to see that the EGC staff recognizes how much even the smallest efforts can make a big difference.”

About the Marine Toys for Tots Program
The primary goal of the Marine Toys for Tots program is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them into becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens. From 1991 – 2008, the Foundation supplemented local toy collections with 81.3 million toys valued at $487 million.

EGC Expands into Manhattan

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:41:10 GMT

To accommodate a growing number of clients based in and around New York City, The EGC Group recently opened a New York City office. Located on 6th Avenue and 43rd street, the New York City office is poised to provide an increased level of convenience for existing and new EGC clients. In announcing the new office, President Ernie Canadeo noted that “We’re thrilled to be able to use this new location as a base for our future expansion.”

Social Media: What Not to Do

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:40:37 GMT

There was a great blog post on AdAge about Social Media. Unlike so many other things you read about Social Media, this post was more about the things that Social Media can’t do.

Those things include:
• replace a marketing plan
• work without upper management buy-in
• be a short-term project
• be developed in-house (by most)
• be executed without a realistic budget

You can read more of the post if you like, but I'll break down the important point that all marketers and business owners really need to know: Social Media is not something that just happens. With social media you can’t just put up a page and expect it to work and be viral. You need to have a strategy and you actually have to work at it. You can’t expect results overnight—and if you do, you'll likely be disappointed. As with any other marketing tactic, you need to work at it, optimize it, refine it… because successful Social Media that makes a real impact is not something that just happens on its own.

Just as important, remember that Social Media should be a part of a larger marketing strategy. A complement, not a replacement. In fact, Social Media should make your overall marketing plan more effective because it provides a direct link to your customers and allows you to engage with them. However, don’t mistake this direct connection as a silver bullet or “cure all.” It won’t make you the best thing since sliced bread in a week. While Social Media will allow you to speak to, connect with, and learn from your customers, it is still a marketing tactic that needs to be executed properly, and as part of a larger integrated plan. And remember, it does have its limitations.

EGC Announces Exciting Changes and New Digital Products: Social Tracking and Consumer Insights

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:39:32 GMT

In keeping pace with the changing media market place, The EGC Group has enhanced the digital department. EGC Digital will be run by Vice President Tony Valado, who most recently served as EGC’s Digital Strategist after years of working on global digital business at leading digital firms. The goal of EGC Digital, staffed by marketing experts who also possess a keen understanding of digital technologies and best practices, is to allow all clients to fully master the ever-changing and growing digital marketplace.

As one of the first regional agencies to truly realize the importance of the digital space, The EGC Group has operated with a digital department since 1997. As digital media and marketing continue to grow in their importance as a critical part of every advertiser’s marketing plans, EGC Digital aims to provide a unique mix of digital specialists who are also marketing experts. The mission of EGC Digital is for marketing experts who understand the theories and best practices behind integrated marketing to deliver cutting edge digital technologies and best practices to clients, delivering every client a fully integrated, seamless marketing plan.

In addition to the services EGC Digital has always provided clients, including online strategy, display advertising, search engine marketing, digital design, social media, research and eCRM, the launch delivers several new offerings including Social Perception InsightsSM and EGC Consumer InsightsSM.

Social Tracking investigates the perceptions of your brand in the social medium. Using a proprietary combination of tracking methods, EGC Digital can provide you with an understanding of your brand’s needs in the social networking arena by providing you with a full report of all brand mentions across the internet, coupled with direct research garnered from social networking sites.

EGC Consumer InsightsSM will allow advertisers and brand owners to get a true understanding of who your customers really are. Using the EGC Consumer Insights™ study methodology, which includes proprietary research techniques and distribution, EGC Digital can uncover the most relevant and important insights of your customers, helping you gain a better understanding of who they are and what they want, thus positioning you for ongoing success.

For more information on how EGC Digital can help your business, contact Tony Valado at 516-935-4944.

Google Gets a Jolt of Caffeine

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:38:46 GMT

If you went to the Google Caffeine beta page, you would notice that Google posted a message:

“We appreciate all the feedback from people who searched on our Caffeine sandbox. Based on the success we've seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely, beginning with one data center. This sandbox is no longer necessary and has been retired, but we appreciate the testing and positive input that webmasters and publishers have given.”

The first question you probably have is, “what is Google Caffeine?” Well, Google Caffeine is the next generation of Google search. Google is rebuilding their entire infrastructure, which essentially would make Google new again. The change would be similar to upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7. Why is this important? Because Google is making their engine smarter, which will probably make it more relevant. This change is a big one in the evolution of search. The introduction of Bing was a big step in this evolution, and now Google is keeping pace, which is ultimately great for customers, as it ensures search will only grow to be more relevant.

However, don’t get too excited yet. These changes likely mean other changes that have unintended consequences… or in Google’s case, intended consequences. Google’s change may actually alter the search landscape in terms of search engine optimization. You see, these changes will alter the algorithm of how websites are indexed. Google is always trying to stay ahead of people/companies who “game the system” or play in “gray areas” in an effort to increase a website's search results. The changes to Google might just drop your listing if you aren't doing SEO properly. If you are using the tried and true method of good content and proper linking strategies, you have little need to worry. However, if you’re doing other things that are considered to be in the “gray areas,” you have no guarantee that the new Google will appreciate it. The full roll out probably won’t happen for awhile, but it’s coming… so make sure you’re doing your SEO the right way.

EGC Announces Promotions

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:38:03 GMT

Tony Valado named Vice President of EGC Digital

Tony Valado, who has served as The EGC Group’s Digital Strategist since July 2008, was recently named Vice President of the newly established EGC Digital. In this role, Tony will be responsible for integrating best digital practices and emerging technologies into the marketing plans of all current and new EGC clients, ensuring they are represented best across the rapidly changing digital media marketplace.

Prior to joining EGC, Tony gathered his digital and marketing expertise working on global brands at leading digital agencies, including Avenue A | Razorfish and MTVu. In announcing the promotion, EGC’s President, Ernie Canadeo noted, “As digital media and marketing continue to grow, we're excited to have a true marketing expert who specializes in digital like Tony overseeing the integration of our clients' brands into the digital landscape.”
Nicole Larrauri named Managing Partner, Agency Services

As EGC's Vice President, Nicole has overseen tremendous growth at the Agency, expanding both the employee and client rosters, all while navigating the changing face of advertising and marketing. As a testament to the role she plays and the contributions Nicole has delivered to EGC in her 10+ years with the Agency, Nicole was recently named Managing Partner, Agency Services. In this role, Nicole will continue driving strategy for EGC clients, while developing and implementing plans to ensure that EGC stays ahead of the curve in new media, technology and advertising and marketing best practices.

Social Media: A Convergence of Marketing and Public Relations

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:34:33 GMT

It’s no secret that industry standards for both the marketing and public relations fields have evolved with the advent of social media. Both fields have been able to take advantage of communicating directly with their customers by engaging them in an interactive way, informing them of newsworthy, and relevant information, and most importantly, learning from their responses. Since social media provides all these opportunities, it has resulted in a convergence of marketing and public relations tactics in order to effectively communicate directly to the consumer. And it has changed the way we communicate.

Whether a company is seeking to spread awareness of a new product, alert interested enthusiasts about an upcoming event, discuss relevant news topics, or is looking to take control of a crisis management issue, social media has been the platform to accomplish all this and more in a timely, direct fashion. Bypassing all other forms of media to speak directly to the consumer is something that every company will find value in. But they have to be careful about how, what and when they communicate. As a result, many traditional marketing agencies have joined with public relations firms, or have incorporated public relations practitioners or corporate communication specialists into their agencies. This ensures they deliver success to clients’ social media needs—from blogging, to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Social media has fostered the integration of marketing and public relations into many agencies, and industry news has validated this successful trend.

The PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), along with many other professional organizations, have been holding countless seminars, workshops and webinars that provide tips and tricks of the trade to ensure success in social media by combining marketing and public relations efforts into one cohesive messaging strategy. Some of the best practices reported along the way are:

• Aim to be an informer not a ‘me’former. Meaning, tell people what they want to hear, and discuss, not just all about you or your company.
• Before you post something, ask ‘Will people really care?’
• Make sure all content shared is relevant and interesting. Have a personality but keep it concise and easy to read.
• Pass the ‘70/20/10 test’: 70% of content should share, 20% should connect, and 10% should be in ‘me’form (information about your company or yourself).
• Listen. It’s as simple as that. Listen to what people are saying within your industry, about you and your company (the good AND the bad).
• Work with the approval process, not against it. Set a social media policy that all involved agree to, in order to deliver and maintain a timely communication strategy.
• Be engaged. Don’t just be a message board; be accessible and open to have a conversation. There is a reason it is called ‘social’ media.
Specifically, for public relations tactics, social media has allowed for: pitching directly to consumers rather than reporters and editors; a better understanding of what editors and reporters are interested in when a feature in print is warranted; the ability to respond to and inform consumers directly and immediately; direct communication from consumers, and it has also provided new online communities. This might sound intimidating and overwhelming, which is why some companies and their legal departments have been late to take advantage of social media, but due to the continued success from companies such as Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and MasterCard (to name a few), they are seeing that success is possible and attainable. We are helping our clients embrace social media and incorporate it into their marketing strategy by building interactive online communities and we can’t wait to see the positive results!

Stay tuned for our own case studies to show how these best communication practices, when incorporated with strategic marketing plans, can ensure success with social media.

EGC Attended the North Shore Animal League of America's 2009 DogCatemy Awards

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:35:25 GMT

November 5, 2009

EGC account team members Christine Carroll and Dan Misilewich attended the North Shore Animal League of America’s 2009 DogCatemy Awards on November 5, 2009. EGC, as part of our pro bono CreateAthon efforts, created an advertising campaign for North Shore’s Muttigrees program. The ad has appeared in several pet publications and was also in the DogCatemy Awards program. The event, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, was attended by Howard Stern, Beth Ostrosky, Martha Stewart, Monica Seles, Rick DiPietro, Robin Quivers, and many other celebrities who created entertaining films about their relationship with their dogs and cats.

The annual DogCatemy Celebrity Gala helps support North Shore Animal League America, the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, sustain its more than 60-year mission to rescue, nurture and adopt homeless pets into loving, permanent homes. Each year the Animal League finds homes for approximately 20,000 deserving companion animals.

EGC Wins Prestigious Global Award

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:42:55 GMT

EGC has been awarded the prestigious “Gold” Creativity Annual Award at the Creativity Annual Awards show. The ad, designed by EGC’s associate creative director Rich DeSimone, was created for the Rainforest Alliance.

The ad was selected from over 10,000 ads submitted from over 44 countries and 45 states.

The Creativity Awards Annual was one of the first books to showcase leading-edge design from across the globe and is used by the world’s top agencies as reference for creative excellence. Our ad will be published in the next edition, and the trophy will be a proud addition to our trophy case.

Twitter—It’s Not Your Kids' Social Network

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:53:20 GMT

While most news articles in the social networking space have been about the meteoric rise of Twitter, there have been some articles that suggest Twitter may have some serious issues. They are all based around the fact that kids aren’t using Twitter. Let’s look at some startling statistics on Twitter usage to see what people are talking about.

Interestingly, Twitter’s growth has been fueled by older people, not teens and college students. To me, this is a very interesting development and is in part what has called its sustainability into question. OK…I don’t want to be nihilistic, because in the end it doesn’t mean much. But in reality when you look at the growth of social media platforms, the large ones—MySpace and Facebook—saw their growth fueled by the opposite groups that are using Twitter.

Looking at the demographic information of Twitter on Comscore and Quantcast, you will notice that the majority—72%—are between the ages of 18 and 49. It’s important to note, though, that those numbers are skewed. The 18 to 24 age group only makes up 17.9% of Twitter users, and the 3 to 17 age group only makes up 10%. So 28% of Twitter users are between the ages of 3 and 24—and I would imagine 22 to 24 years of age would be a largest percentage of that.

We’ve established that the Twitter audience is going to skew older and that adoption rates are higher for 21 to 49 year olds. Does this mean Twitter has no shot at sustainability, since early adoption typically comes from a younger generation? Not at all—just the opposite, in fact. These statistics actually just show the difference between what particular age groups use and like. You see, while everyone is interested in connecting with friends, 12 to 18 year olds have a higher propensity of keeping in constant contact, hence the growth of Facebook. Twitter doesn’t give you the same social interaction…you’re not even friends, you’re followers. Believe it or not, that is exactly why Twitter is going to enjoy a happy, healthy life, at the very least evolving or combining with someone else.

You see, Twitter is great for people who are interested in keeping up to date on information, looking for answers, getting news or disseminating information. Notice the early adoption of businesses to Twitter? It has made it possible to get news instantaneously. It’s no wonder that Google likes Twitter as we move into a world of real-time information. In the end, Twitter has become a part of our news world and is around to stay, because it brings you instant news and information. There is nothing more powerful than that in an on-demand society.

The Role of Research in 2010

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:52:39 GMT

While some marketing categories are experiencing cutbacks, there is one category that is experiencing double-digit growth and is expected to continue to do so in 2010: research.

There is a clear reason why the research department of The EGC Group has executed more consumer studies this year than in previous years. Never before has consumer perception and behavior changed as quickly as it has over the last 18 months. Brand studies we’ve executed for a number of clients have shown dramatic shifts in customer preferences and media habits—some changing in as little as 12 months. Due in part to the changing economy, consumers have changed, and marketers want (and need) to know how and what they can do to stay connected.

Current research products offered by EGC include the Industry and Market Report, The Brand Essence and Positioning Evaluation, and The FastTrack Online Study. EGC has also recently introduced cost-effective and efficient research packages that assist both small companies as well as the largest market leaders with better customer insight.

The EGC Channel Analysis:
EGC Channel Analysis identifies opportunities to increase sell-through at your distribution channels via a custom sales report. EGC’s turnkey retail research identifies what markets represent the most sales opportunity and scores each of your locations by sales potential. Whether it be an independent dealer network or mass chain, EGC can identify your strengths and weaknesses in each channel.

The EGC Customer Finder:
What does the person who is most likely to buy your product or service look like? And most important, where are they? Using a custom mix of PRIZM NE, Claritas, and custom research data, EGC creates a customer snapshot and then finds others who look, and most importantly, SHOP, like your target. EGC then provides a “heat map” of where your prospects are. EGC can also identify how to best target them, cost effectively and efficiently.

Sales Promotion Intelligence Report:
Are your sales, rebates and sales promotions introducing new customers to your brand, or are they being fulfilled by people who would have purchased anyway? EGC can help analyze your sales promotions and find out what promotion is most likely to work, who is responding, and what sales promotion will most likely trigger the brand-switchers.

At no time in recent history has research been quite as critical a component of a marketing plan as it will be in 2010. To make sure you’re speaking to your customer in a way they can relate to tomorrow, contact EGC today.

EGC Participates in Nationwide Effort to Support Non-Profits

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:51:45 GMT

On September 17th and 18th, The EGC Group dedicated all of the resources of the Agency to CreateAthon, a 24-hour-long event during which Advertising Agencies across North America dedicate their services to produce pro-bono work for charities.

Selected as the sole Metro-NY Agency to participate in CreateAthon 2009 for the second year in a row, EGC worked tirelessly to produce marketing campaigns and secure pro-bono media placements for four non-profits, including:

• Child Abuse Prevention Services: With programs addressing the varied forms of child abuse, bullying, sexual harassment, date rape and online exploitation, CAPS is Long Island's leading organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect.

• Family and Children’s Association: Provides a coordinated system of more than 40 individual programs carefully designed to help babies, children, adults, senior citizens, and families lead more self-sufficient lives.

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society (LI Chapter): Mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS.

• North Shore Animal League America: The largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization in the world. Since 1944, The organization’s mission has been saving the lives of pets through adoption, rescue, spay/neuter and advocacy initiatives.

In a short time, EGC produced these break-through creative campaigns for the charities noted. EGC’s participation in CreateAthon 2009 generated over $500,000 in pro-bono donations, including media time donations from All Island Media, Cablevision, Cox Radio, JVC Broadcasting, Long Island Press, Long Island Radio Group, Neighbor Newspapers, Newsday, Richner Communications, WALK Radio, WLNY-TV.
Since its inception 10 years ago, CreateAthon has produced more than 2,150 projects for more than 1,000 nonprofits. The total value of this work is nearly $8.5 million.

In discussing the Agency’s decision to participate again this year Ernie Canadeo, President of The EGC Group, noted “Our participation in last year’s CreateAThon event was a tremendous success, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars of media exposure and award winning creative work for not for profits. After seeing the tremendous assistance and benefit we gave to charities during last year’s CreatAThon, we felt it necessary to once again participate as CreateAThon’s exclusive New York area Advertising Agency. EGC is particularly proud to join other prominent marketing agencies throughout North America that are helping charities during this tough economic time.”

Check out the press coverage of CreateAthon on TV55 and in Newsday.

Top Search Trends, August 2009

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:50:37 GMT

For three months we have seen Michael Jackson reign over search activity, while this month we saw Cash for Clunkers and DJ AM jump in search volume.

Cash for Clunkers
Depending on who you talk to, they will tell you how successful Cash for Clunkers was. The reality is that people became interested in car buying again and drove people to showrooms. Given the problems and funding issues that were being reported in the media, people turned to the online world to get more information.

Celebrity Deaths
Another month for celebrity deaths showed huge increases in traffic. With the two deaths in the Kennedy family, followed by the death of DJ AM, celebrity searches have had huge traffic increases. Not only did searches for Ted Kennedy increase, but those for the Kennedy Family did as well, as people searched to find more details on them.

In Other News
Healthcare and Swine flu continued to be of high interest to people as they followed up on information being disseminated about the two in media reports. Big Brother 11 had huge increases in search traffic as people were looking for the spoiler.

The EGC Group is Proud to Welcome Two New Clients

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:49:58 GMT

The EGC Group is pleased to announce that we have recently added two new clients to the agency roster.

The CARCO Group

EGC is thrilled to be hired by CARCO after winning a thorough agency review. As CARCO’s agency, EGC’s first charge will be to develop a new website. EGC will also be providing ongoing marketing counsel to support CARCO’s planned product launches and will also be developing supporting collateral materials.

About The CARCO Group
Founded in 1977, CARCO Group, Inc, and its two divisions, is a nationally recognized information services company that provides investigative, fraud detection, and risk mitigation services to large corporations and business entities.

CARCO's Background Screening Services division and Investigative & Security Consulting division provide comprehensive background investigations on potential and current employees, vendors, customers, and business partners, as well as drug testing and fingerprinting services through alliance partners. CARCO's services include self service portal technology which eliminates paper-based hiring processes , domestic and international due diligence, and general and financial investigations.

CARCO's Inspection Services division provides insurance carriers with pre-insurance vehicle inspection reports (underwriting reports) that significantly reduce auto insurance fraud. This service is provided to more than 600 insurance companies through a network of more than 6,000 inspection sites. CARCO inspects more than 1.5 million motor vehicles each year.

The Early Years Institute

EGC is proud to be named the Agency of Record for The Early Years Institute. EGC will be assisting The Early Years Institute in marketing plan development, website development, and ongoing marketing support services.

About The Early Years Institute
Headquartered in Plainview, New York, The Early Years Institute is a non-profit organization that works to provide resources to anyone touching the lives of young children—using research to identify needs, assess policy impact, and evaluate program effectiveness. The Early Years Institute builds coalitions so that the community comes together. For more information about The Early Years Institute, visit www.earlyyearsinst.org, or call (516) 304-5480.

Ellis' Long Islander of the Week - Ernie Canadeo

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:49:03 GMT

Newsday article (PDF)

Check out the press coverage of CreateAthon on TV55.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:47:57 GMT

TV55 Video

The EGC Group Named Among Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:07:17 GMT

Melville, NY—The EGC Group, a leading marketing, advertising, and digital agency, has announced that the company has been named to the Inc. 500 l 5000 list. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Consumer electronics maker Vizio, Internet giant GoDaddy, rental car service Zipcar, and beverage maker Honest Tea are among the prominent brands featured on this year's list.

“We are honored to be a part of Inc. Magazines prestigious list” said Ernest G. Canadeo, President of The EGC Group. “While the current economic climate has forced the consolidation or closing of many advertising and marketing firms, we are proud that EGC remains stable and is well poised for future growth.”

The success of The EGC Group can be attributed to the agency’s dedication to help companies grow their business through fact-based marketing strategies and results-driven advertising programs. The Digital Division of The EGC Group has helped clients converge online marketing tactics with traditional marketing strategies. The full service marketing support of The EGC Group team helps companies connect with customers efficiently and effectively.

The Inc. 500 | 5000 has been a prestigious and well-respected benchmark for the nation’s most innovative and successful organizations. Despite the ongoing recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $214 billion, up $29 billion from last year. “Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate,” said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. “That’s why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year.”

About The EGC Group:
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing agency based in Melville, New York. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked among the Top Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age and Best Advertising Agency by Long Island Business News. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare. Visit www.egcgroup.com for more information or follow @EGCGroup on Twitter.

About Inc. 500 | 5000 Conference:
Each year, Inc. and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars—the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500 | 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the Inc. 5000 community, both a new class of Inc. 5000 honorees and the list’s alumni, for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration. Please join us September 23-25, 2009, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Stay connected with Inc. Events by following @IncEvents on Twitter.

Microsoft and Yahoo Connect - What It Means for Your Business

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:30:13 GMT

If you haven’t heard by now (I’m sure you have), Microsoft and Yahoo recently entered into a 10-year agreement where Microsoft will be the technology that runs Yahoo’s Search, and will in turn pay Yahoo. This pact gives both a much stronger footing against Google, and together they should prove to be a formidable competitor for the Search giant. But more importantly, what does the new partnership mean for advertisers, specifically small to medium sized advertisers?

Competition – With this new large competitor in the Search field, everyone is going to need to spend more money to innovate. The status quo will no longer work. Google, above all, will need to increase its research and development to stay ahead of the curve. With the signing of the Microsoft/Yahoo deal there should also be more revenue for Microsoft to invest in Bing to make it better. And let’s not forget about the Tier 2 Search Engines—they too are going to have to compete that much harder. In the end, competition breeds innovation and the field just got a lot more competitive.

Budgets – Prior to the Microsoft/Yahoo deal, if you were working with a small budget you would probably focus solely on Google, and possibly spread a bit to Yahoo. It usually wouldn’t make sense to run on both, because you would have spread your budget so thin that you wouldn’t get scale anywhere, and since Yahoo and Bing had limited scale compared to Google, you would focus on just Google. Now you’re going to have the benefit of reaching the majority of the Search population through only two Search Engines. With this ability to reach so many, while spending your budget across just these two Engines, you will have a better opportunity to test—which is the best opportunity for your business.

Scale – Finally, this partnership provides another Search Engine where you will be able to find reasonable scale. Unlike before, where Google owned the arena and everyone else was just a small player, now there is another Engine where you can attain scale. You don’t need to solely rely on Google. The advantages of this are as mentioned above, but are worth repeating.

To summarize, I think from an advertiser perspective this partnership is a very good thing and will allow you to broaden your reach. It will increase competition, give you more ability to test and ultimately help you to drive positive ROI for your business. “Microhoo” will not unseat Google yet, but as a result of this pairing the landscape should alter—and if Bing continues to impress, we may just have a real competitive marketplace. Oh, but wait… it still needs to get approval from the government!

Top Search Trends, July 2009

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:29:18 GMT

The month of July continued to see Michael Jackson reigning over search activity, while ESPN made the news in ways they didn’t want to.

Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson remained the top-searched term online as people tried to find information about his memorial services and updates on the investigation of his death. He continued to be a phenomenon online for search engines and news sites.

ESPN in the News
While ESPN prides itself for reporting on everything in sports, it was caught in a tidal wave of interest because of one of its reporters being photographed naked in a hotel room. Erin Andrews jumped to the second most searched online term as people looked for more information and the pictures, which were published by several media outlets.

Huge Percentage Increases
The largest swings in traffic were attributed to the death of Shane Carwin, the UFC fighter; Hailey Glassman, new girlfriend of Jon Gosselin from Reality TV fame; and the Orange Country Fair 2009. Oh, and if being the top search term weren’t enough, the Michael Jackson Memorial was one of the top fastest growing searches.

The EGC Group and VerticalResponse, Inc. Partner in Providing Integrated CRM & E-mail Marketing Services

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:27:27 GMT

New York – August 11, 2009 – The EGC Group a leading marketing and advertising agency has announced a strategic partnership with VerticalResponse,Inc., a leading provider of on-demand e-mail marketing, online survey and direct mail solutions.

The new partnership provides EGC clients with an enhanced suite of award-winning tools that make e-mail marketing and direct marketing campaigns more successful. EGC clients can access web-based e-mail marketing templates and CRM tools via an easy-to-use online platform. For clients who wish immediate access to the their campaigns, the partnership allows for immediate and detailed reporting access.

"E-mail and direct marketing has been an increasingly important trend in today’s economy” said Ernie Canadeo, President of the EGC Group. "The EGC Group and VerticalResponse both understand the importance of advertising that is trackable and results-oriented. EGC’s partnership with VerticalResponse is another example of how EGC integrates direct marketing, interactive marketing and e-mail marketing into a total marketing solution.”

Dealer and Franchisee Access to E-Mail Marketing Tools

A core client base of The EGC Group includes brands sold through the independent retail network/franchise groups. This new partnership solves many problems that brands experience in having franchisees/dealers adopt e-mail and CRM into their marketing campaigns. Since there is a portal that includes corporate-approved templates, franchisees and dealers can participate in campaigns that are consistent with brand guidelines.

Many independent retailers and dealers previously sent e-mails from their own mail system/ISP, resulting in SPAM issues where e-mails don’t get through to their customer. Since VerticalResponse uses the most up-to-date methods in the industry to authenticate client mail, e-mail delivery rates are consistently higher.

Clients have immediate access to the results of the campaign – including opens, clicks, bounce backs, unsubscribes, and purchases. Campaigns can be optimized, changed and responded to on a real time basis, and the EGC account team can work with each client and user to ensure the best campaign possible.

All of this resides on a user-friendly platform that is offered on a pay-as-you-go-basis, so no long term contracts are needed.

"We’re excited that the partnership with the EGC Group will provide small businesses and franchises with a higher level of visibility into the success of their advertising and communications through reporting on email deliverability rates,” said Janine Popick CEO of VerticalResponse. “We’re also removing a huge hurdle for small businesses by offering templates for their marketing collateral, saving them both time and money.”

About VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse Inc, is a leading provider of self-service e-mail marketing, online surveys and direct mail services empowering businesses of all sizes to create, manage and analyze their own direct marketing campaigns. VerticalResponse’s flagship product, which allows customers to deliver sophisticated yet easily deployed e-mail campaigns, is the most intuitive and affordable Web-based direct marketing solution available. VerticalResponse is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For additional information, please visit www.verticalresponse.com.

About The EGC Group
The EGC Group is a full service integrated marketing agency based in Melville, New York. It was formed in 1985 and is ranked one of the Top 350 Advertising Agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age, Best Advertising Agency by LI Business News, and is a recent honoree among Inc. 500 l 5000. The company’s clients include industry leaders in consumer products, finance, retail, education, hospitality and healthcare.

Tips for Preparing for the Economic Recovery

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:14:50 GMT

This just in—the economy is starting to turn around! And though a real recovery may still be months away, now that word has leaked that things are improving, you can expect many businesses to start positioning themselves for success when consumers finally come back out of the sheltered caves they retreated to a year ago.

How can you ensure that you’re positioned for success? EGC offers our top four tips for businesses to follow now so that they are a ready when the economy recovers.

Invest in infrastructure—while many business have held off investing in infrastructure during the economic slow down, now is the time! By investing in new technology or new office space that can allow you to grow with the growing economy NOW, you won’t be hampered by the efforts when the economy is back in high gear. It is also likely that you can still secure “economy pricing” on many of these services and products now, vs. the higher price they may demand six months from now.

Invest in talent—you may have had to lay off staff, forgo hiring the next company star, or implement salary freezes (or cuts!) in the last year. Now is the time to invest in new talent still on the market, before the job market starts to heat up and that talent gets swept away by your competitor. In the same regard, for the loyal staff who stepped up to the plate during the down times to cover the work of those you had to let go, or stayed despite salary freezes/decreases, consider offering your thanks as an increase in compensation now—so they know you appreciated their loyalty, and so that they are more inclined to stay put when the job market does heat up again.

Invest in marketing—at EGC, we were always advocates of the thinking that those who stayed in the ad game during the down economy would come out on top, and we worked to keep our clients invested in the best marketing plan they could afford. If you had to cut back on your marketing, now is the time to look to ramp back up, and lock in pricing and schedules before the market starts to tighten again. Get back out there now, on the cusp of the down cycle, so that you aren’t middle or last to get back in… because you may find if you wait too long, you’ll just get lost in the crush to get back in.

The EGC Group Hits the High Seas for Night of Fun

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:13:08 GMT

Not even driving rains and wind could stop The EGC Group staff from celebrating at the Annual EGC Summer party on Thursday, July 23rd. Held this year aboard a NYC Rockin’ The River Cruise, sailing through Lower Manhattan, EGC staff and guests were treated to the musical styling of Joan Osborne, with the opening act performed by Chris Barron, former lead singer of the Spin Doctors.

Though the uncharacteristically rainy July weather tried, nothing could dampen the party atmosphere and the spirits of the EGC staff, as we celebrated our continued successes, despite the tough economy, and pledged to continue working as a close-knit team to do great work as we head toward 2010.

Said Senior Art Director Steve Comando about the party, “It was like a cross between The Perfect Storm and Animal House... Ernie’s going to have a tough time topping this year’s party next year.”

For more pictures of the night at sea, check out our Facebook page.

EGC "Takes You There" with Sean Kingston and Green Acres Mall

Wed, 15 Jul 2003 19:29:11 GMT

In an effort to continue to attract potential shoppers for client Green Acres Mall, EGC and Party 105 secured and coordinated an appearance with hit rapper and reggae star Sean Kingston. Sean co-hosted Party 105’s Nikki at Night’s Top 8 at 8 Countdown live in Center Court.

Kingston has 3 top 10 hits including “Beautiful Girls”, “Take You There” and his latest single “Fire Burning.” Party 105 gave away tickets to their concert event of the year, Mega Jam. Green Acres mall was able to distribute 300 gift bags stuffed with retailer coupons and prizes. Sean Kingston was on hand to give autographs and take pictures with the first lucky 105 people who attended. The event was a huge success all around: Mall Management enjoyed the huge attendance and the fact that the event went smoothly. Epic Records felt it was one of his best recent appearances.

GoogleTV: Connecting Television to Measurable Results

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:25:50 GMT

For many companies, especially small businesses, purchasing Television as part of a media buy is often out of the question due to budget constraints. Additionally, if you promote your business nationally, you probably have a small likelihood of integrating TV into your media plan, because of both the cost and the competitive nature of the marketplace. Well, thanks to Google, there is a movement to democratize and make buying Television ad time smarter, quicker and easier.

You may have already heard of GoogleTV—it came out of “beta” last summer and has quietly been growing its network of Cable operators, channels, and ad agencies in its favor ever since. Here at EGC, we are particularly fond of GoogleTV, and expect that it will, over time, become a key element in all of our integrated media buys.

Here’s how GoogleTV works: when setting up a campaign, EGC defines your target customer, and using technology built into the GoogleTV system, finds the shows that are most effective in reaching your target. Once we have determined the shows and networks that will best reach your target, the EGC media team puts together a schedule of specific dayparts and programming. All sounds pretty standard as it relates to buying TV ad time so far, right? Well, this is where Google changes the game. Once we’ve defined where you should run, EGC uploads your commercial to the GoogleTV system and determines how much you should spend on the buy.

Advertisers can spend as little or as much as they want… but ultimately, to get a decent rotation and run in high-quality shows, you have to pay a higher premium. Sound familiar? The whole concept, while revolutionary to TV ad sales, is old news to those of us at EGC who manage online marketing and Google Search campaigns. Like Search, the premise of GoogleTV is that we bid on inventory and the market determines the price for the placement. If the bid is accepted, your commercial runs. If it isn’t, it doesn’t.

Suddenly, because of Google, is TV as trackable and informed a medium as online? Sort of. While GoogleTV is a great opportunity, it does have its shortcomings. First—distribution is currently limited to only the DISH Network and certain Cable networks (expect this to change… Google is working to increase their reach constantly). Second—we can only buy GoogleTV nationally, so if you are a local or regional business, EGC can’t purchase just a DMA or local area for your buy as we can from a Cable provider (again… expect this to change).

While these shortcomings may be too much for some, GoogleTV is definitely an opportunity for many. At EGC we have seen great success using GoogleTV for our client, Brother International. One of the benefits of GoogleTV is similar to Search—EGC receives so much data on performance that we can alter campaigns mid-run, as often as necessary. Using the data at our disposal, EGC was able to optimize the Brother buy in real time to the point that we ensured delivery of a positive ROI. Costs per call were the lowest we have seen for any previous Brother Television campaign, and sales of the featured product increased during the campaign run.

GoogleTV is only a year old, so I’m not suggesting you ditch the tried and true methods of Television ad buying and jump on this boat. Yet. Just remember if your EGC media team suggests GoogleTV that when the little search engine known as “Google” launched, nobody ever thought it would amount to anything… Enough said.

Top Search Trends, June 2009

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:25:50 GMT

As part of our monthly newsletter we are going to start looking at what the hot trends are online—essentially, what people are searching for and tweeting about. We’ll be using a combination of Google Trends, Yahoo Buzz and Twitter Trends. While not a perfect science, we want to give you an idea of what is happening online and what is generating interest.

Michael Jackson
The top searched term for the month of June was Michael Jackson. News of his death crippled search engines and social networks alike. The only other time in history that the internet saw such a mass influx of people was on November 4, 2008 when people were tracking the election of President Barack Obama.

Political Unrest
With dissatisfaction over the elections in Iran, protesters not only took to the street, but used Twitter to voice their dissatisfaction, and to inform the rest of the world and organize protests. Twitter’s relevance as a medium for communication was increased by the State Department’s request that it not undergo a scheduled maintenance which would have brought the site down for 90 minutes, allowing Iranians to continue to voice their opinions uninterrupted.

Huge Percentage Increases
The largest swings in traffic were attributed to “Air France Flight 447,” “David Carradine (actor),” and “Bing (Microsoft Search Engine).” Each of these topics saw immense increases in traffic as people looked for more information on the disappearance of Flight 447, the death of David Carradine and the launch of Microsoft’s Bing search engine.

Connecting Niche Marketers with PR

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:25:50 GMT

If you are a Business-to-Business advertiser or niche marketer, we’re sure you have seen the need to change the way you market over the past year. Many traditional print trade publications have declined in circulation, losing share of voice to online trade resources. Partner that with the fact that marketing budgets have been reduced, and that the budget for paid media placements is not as ample as in previous years, and you may be unsure where to turn.

So what are many B2B advertisers relying on today? Public Relations. Pairing traditional PR with a mix of online PR efforts—such as blogging, white paper development, social networking events and webinars—B2B marketers can build a more impactful marketing campaign than in the past. One of the most significant trends we have seen over the past year is that many editors are hungry for stories about product innovation, especially as it relates to helping the economy or the environment. So, PR stories with these angles have a good opportunity to secure unpaid placement.

One recent example of how EGC was able to create editor-interest and generate brand awareness is seen in our new PR campaign for Flame-Spray Industries. Flame-Spray provides engineering solutions for surface protection through the use of advanced thermal spray technologies. Flame-Spray is focused on using thermal spray processes to develop and apply metal coatings for applications in the automotive, petrochemical, infrastructure, aerospace and military industries as well as other industrial applications. EGC has focused PR efforts on the benefits of the application that include energy efficiency and on Inventors Keith Kowalsky, Daniel Marantz, David Cook, Ph.D., and James Baughman, who were all recognized in regional publications for their receipt of the 36th National Inventor of the Year Award, along with automotive giant Ford Motor Company.

By focusing on just these two angles, Flame-Spray has been mentioned in over 300 national news outlets in just a few short weeks. By generating awareness of the award-winning product and its many benefits and applications, EGC will continue to build credibility for Flame-Spray and will also increase their brand recognition within multiple industries.

If you’re looking to grow your brand through PR, call Nicole Larrauri today at 516-935-4944.

The EGC Group Connects with Three New Clients

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:25:50 GMT

The EGC Group is pleased to announce that we have recently connected with three new clients—MAVCAP Industries, Flame-Spray Industries and Anchor Audi.

MAVCAP Industries

EGC will take on full Agency of Record responsibilities for MAVCAP Industries. The founders of MAVCAP recently invented the A-C DraftShield, a product that seals home air-conditioning systems, stopping cold air from entering and heat from escaping through vents, ductwork, in-wall installations, or window units which remain installed all year.

As Agency of Record, EGC will work with MAVCAP to develop a full product launch, including development of a logo and brand identity, as well as POS materials and packaging.

Flame-Spray Industries

EGC has also recently connected with Flame-Spray Industries, being named Agency of Record for the firm. EGC’s first task as Agency of Record for the Port Washington-based company was to handle publicity for the Flame-Spray engineers receiving the 36th National Inventor of the Year Award at the Smithsonian Museum at the end of May. Moving forward, EGC will work with Flame-Spray to generate awareness of the award-winning product and its many benefits and applications, building credibility and increasing brand recognition in advance of and after the awards ceremony.

About Flame-Spray Industries, Inc.:
Flame-Spray Industries, Inc. provides engineering solutions for surface protection through the use of advanced thermal spray technologies. Flame-Spray is focused on using thermal spray processes to develop and apply metal coatings for applications in the automotive, petrochemical, infrastructure, aerospace and military industries as well as other industrial applications. Flame-Spray was founded in 1965 in Port Washington, New York and its products are sold worldwide.

Anchor Audi

EGC has also been named the Agency of Record for Anchor Audi. For Anchor, EGC will be developing an integrated marketing campaign spanning broadcast media, online programs and print, designed to brand and ultimately differentiate the dealership from its competitors. “Anchor Audi, Anchor Solid” advertising is due to launch in late July.

About Anchor Audi:
Anchor Audi, is the area's first Audi dealership, serving the needs of Nassau and Suffolk Counties as well as the Tri-State area since 1998. Anchor Audi offers a selection of over 200 new and certified pre-owned vehicles.

Real World Connection—Words from EGC's Intern

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:25:50 GMT

I walked up the stairs, my heart racing from nervousness and excitement. A million thoughts were running through my head: Will I fit in? Should I have tried on that fifth outfit? Will I learn anything or am I just going to fetch coffee? I took a seat and glanced around at the warm décor, while I awaited the invitation into my interview. This was my first real experience in the working world, so I had no idea what to expect. I was greeted with a friendly handshake and a smile from my interviewer, and she offered me a seat at her desk. After reviewing my resume, we discussed the many happenings at the Agency. Another EGC employee entered the room, introduced herself, and I was told that she would be my “mentor” while I interned. She gave me a tour of the Agency, where I met almost every employee. They all greeted me with a smile and a welcoming statement, while I tried desperately to remember all their names. After my interview, I was told that they would contact me soon. I left the Agency and couldn’t wipe the big, goofy smile off my face. Not only was everyone so friendly, but they told me that they would put me to work and I would even have my own cubicle! Filled with excitement and joy, I began counting down the days until I began my internship at The EGC Group.

My first day came up extraordinarily fast, and as soon as I walked into the office I was put to work. The assignments that were given to me on that first Monday mirrored what I have been doing with most of my time here. I became extremely proficient at using Microsoft Excel from the numerous lists I was given. I also helped write a press release for one of the Agency’s clients. I found out later that they were going to post the release online, which I was ecstatic about. My duties varied from making follow-up phone calls to modeling sample clothing for one of the companies that the Agency advertises for. No matter what day it was, they always kept me busy. The employees at EGC are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Everyone is so helpful, and they are always willing to teach me anything if I am interested. Whether it is showing me the newest creative campaign or taking lunch break trips, I always have an amazing time.

The experience of being in an actual Advertising Agency taught me lessons that I would never be able to learn in a classroom. I sincerely believe that hands-on experience is the best kind of learning. Not only did I learn about the doings in each aspect of Advertising, from Account Planning to Creative to Media Buying, but I can now answer the question: What is it like in an Advertising Agency? This experience both confirmed and strengthened my desire for a future career in the Advertising field.

Google-killers

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:29:11 GMT

May has been a pretty active month for online search. Two new “search engines” were released: one by an Internet powerhouse and the other by a mathematician. I use the term search engine loosely because according to them, they aren’t search engines at all.

Microsoft formally introduced “Bing” (www.bing.com) to the public on May 28th while Wolfram|Alpha (www.wolframalpha.com) was released on May 15th. While you may never use either of them they are important to know about because they are raising the stakes for “search engines”.

Bing – If you ask Microsoft, Bing is not a search engine, it is a “decision engine”. The theory behind Bing is that there is so much information on the Internet that it is no longer good enough to just receive a list of pages that are most relevant to your search. In order to facilitate the finding of information—specifically the right information for you—Microsoft has layered categories that will make it easy to find things that you are looking for. In the end, it allegedly allows you to find the information you are looking for faster.

The key question is whether this is a Google-killer or not. Probably not, but at least it does raise the bar as it relates to getting the specific information you're looking for in a more organized way.

Wolfram|Alpha – This search engine is so cool, it’s called a “computational knowledge engine.” Basically, it isn’t a search engine, because it doesn’t search web pages, but rather gives you answers to questions based on structured data. The thing is pretty smart—or at least the people who built it are—because it is based on mathematics. Here is the difference between how it searches and your traditional search: in a Google search for “Melville, NY” the results are a map of Melville (very good), a Wikipedia entry (good), then hotel guides, city data, etc, all on different websites. You do the same search on Wolfram|Alpha and you get city population, location, local time, current weather, and nearby largest cities, all on one page.

Clearly, Wolfram|Alpha isn’t gunning for Google. But if you need information that is based on some structured data in a quick and orderly fashion on just about anything, then Wolfram|Alpha is your engine. You will notice it isn’t perfect, but I think this is the beginning of a whole slew of engines that will use computation and some intelligence to deliver more accurate search results. Who knows, maybe Google would like to have something like Wolfram|Alpha in its arsenal.

At Your Service: Why Service Matters Even More In a Tight Economy

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:29:11 GMT

You’ve heard it ad nauseum: “the economy stinks,” “business is horrible,” “no one is spending money right now.” So, as a business owner, what are you supposed to do? Fold up your tent and go home? Of course not. You need to roll up your sleeves and fight for your share of the business. Better yet, you need to get in there and get more than your share.

So how do you accomplish this? With all things being equal as far as the pricing of your product or service, availability, etc., it’s the quality of your company’s customer service that will be the deciding factor for success. Right now, customers have the upper hand and they know it. They’re on the lookout for businesses that are eager to do business with them and aren’t afraid to show it.

At The EGC Group, we’ve heard this message loud and clear. That’s why we are urging our clients to not only adopt a more service-focused positioning, but to shout that positioning from the rooftops. A current example is the work we’re doing for Riverhead Building Supply.

As you read this, we are rolling out a new service-oriented campaign that spans TV, radio, print, direct mail and online. This campaign reinforces what many people already know about Riverhead—that their service is superb and that contractors can always depend on Riverhead to get the exact supplies they need exactly when they need them. As a result, Riverhead looks good to their customers (the contractors) who in turn look good to their own customers because Riverhead helps them get the job done right, on time and on budget.

Who competes against Riverhead? You guessed it—good old The Home Depot. Home “D” talks a lot about service, but do they actually deliver? In many cases, the answer is a resounding “no”. The lesson here is that the only thing worse than not taking a service positioning in this economy is to take a service positioning and not deliver on it. Riverhead Building Supply doesn’t just talk a good game, they play a good game and they’re in it to win it.

When it comes to delivering for their customers, Riverhead comes through. A practice we’re sure will not only help them weather tough times but also help them to thrive now and in the future. At The EGC Group were pleased to be a part of their success. So, how can we help you? (See, there’s that service positioning again!)

Making Green Marketing Connect

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:29:11 GMT

As a consumer or an advertiser, you can’t escape the growing trend toward green marketing. According to a new poll by MarketingCharts, approximately 71% of North Americans want to know about the socially responsible behavior of companies behind brands they buy — but most people cannot identify a list of major brands as being socially responsible or irresponsible.

According to the most recent poll from the Shift Report, many major national brands, such as Wal-Mart and GE, have spent significant marketing dollars to position themselves as environmentally friendly and to communicate their green initiatives to the public. However, most of these efforts are not connecting with customers. Bank of America, for example, spent millions of dollars promoting social responsibility throughout 2007-2009—yet only 6.5% of those polled indentified Bank of America as a socially responsible company.

Here are some tips from EGC on how to make a green marketing campaign connect with customers:

Be Genuine: It’s not enough to stick green labels on products—you need to be sure to that your green marketing claims meet compliance standards. Today, most eco-friendly consumers are blogging about products that are really green and those that are not.

Use Marketing Partners to support Community-Driven Green Initiatives: For most, it’s difficult to begin environmental initiatives that have real community impact. Luckily, many media partners have embraced the green initiative. Take GreenStreet LI, the recent initiative headed by Newsday’s Community Affairs Department, for instance. GreenStreet LI is Newsday's effort to start a movement on Long Island for everyone to become greener by providing information, inspiration and helpful tips, while also creating a marketplace to connect green-conscious consumers with businesses that will help them live greener lives.

In addition to running special sections in the newspaper and hosting green community events, Newsday also commissioned The EGC Group to build GreenStreetLI.com, an online resource for Long Islanders interested in learning how to be green. GreenStreetLI.com also allows those who “make the move” to GreenStreet LI to share their experiences, tips and tricks with like-minded “neighbors” across the Island.

GreenStreet LI, most importantly, follows the first rule of making a green campaign connect with customers—they are genuine. An Advisory Board of Long Island's non-profit environmental leaders help shape the program, and program sponsors are all required to be green, providing products and services that help Long Islanders green their own lives. To get tips for how to be green and to make the move to a greener life, check out www.greenstreetli.com.

Make the Advertising Call to Action Green: Recently EGC ran an insert campaign for Vornado Realty/Green Acres Mall, where the call to action was to bring the insert back to the mall to receive a savings incentive—and even better, the mall would then recycle the insert. And of course, the insert was printed in line with environmentally friendly standards.

Ask Consumers to Participate: For a successful green marketing campaign, consumers need to get involved. And luckily, the environmentally conscious consumer is more likely to. By giving them a tree to plant, or giving them a way to get involved, you better integrate your brand into the customer’s life. In addition, it's important to always have forums, blogs and online groups that fans of your brand can share their green practices with each other.

Don’t Believe What You Hear—Direct Mail is Alive and Well

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:29:11 GMT

Online Media Daily recently ran an article titled “Direct Mail Doomed, Long Live Email,” predicting the death of direct mail at the merciless hands of the Internet. Citing a new report from research firm Borrell Associates, the article noted that spending on direct mail is expected to decline 39% over the next five years, which would dethrone it as the top placeholder for ad revenue, dropping it to fourth behind Web, broadcast TV and newspapers. The decline, which has already begun, is being blamed on the worsening economics for printing, the never-ending increase in postage costs, and the improving economics and popularity of the Internet. Borrell predicts email marketing will fill the voice left by direct mail.

At The EGC Group, we’re not so sure about this theory. After all—not too long ago the premature demise of the newspaper as an entire medium was predicted. In response, many newspapers have risen to this challenge and started changing the ways they do business, finding new ways to make newspapers relevant again. We believe the same will happen for direct mail.

Yes, many businesses that have used direct mail with success in the past will and should shift those dollars to email marketing to achieve cost savings. But in some instances, direct mail will still be the more appropriate, impactful choice, and will be something EGC will continue to recommend to our clients.

EGC runs successful Customer Relationship Management programs for a number of clients. The intent of these programs is to keep in touch with past customers, through direct mail and email, keeping them engaged with the client’s brand and providing incentive-based reasons for them to remain a loyal and frequent customer. One program run for Site for Sore Eyes, an EGC client with 38 locations located in Northern California, calls for a Thank You letter with a $25 gift card for use on a future purchase, signed by the store owner, to be mailed to all customers within a month of their shopping experience. While this could be done in an email, we at EGC believe the impact would be lost. There is just something personal about getting a signed letter and a card you can tuck away in your wallet that is lost in an email. The same holds true for another aspect of the program—cards sent to customers during their birthday month that deliver a special savings. How impersonal would it be to get a birthday email, rather than a card? And who wants to print out a savings certificate, cut it out, and carry that around vs. a compact little gift card?

To keep direct mail alive, marketers need to be smarter about their use of the medium. Dollars spent on large, untargeted mass mailings hoping to reach anyone need to shift to email, saving mail for customers that most deserve your investment—proven customers and highly targeted customers that have been identified as needing your product, and those using your competitors product. At EGC we have several methods that we use to achieve this finite targeting, including use of PRIZM, a software that allows us to profile a brand’s customers based on a range of demographics, categorize them in one of 66 different classifications, and then find similar potential customers in other areas. Using PRIZM, we’ve helped the New York Islanders find new season ticketholders, Brother International find new areas where dealers will most likely prosper and several colleges and universities identify their best prospects. We’ve seen this strategy of uber-targeting work well for many clients in the past and will continue to use it and refine it in the future. While direct mail may never return to the volumes it once had, we don’t believe it’s dying—just growing more graceful with age.

EGC Debuts New Logo and New Website

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:29:11 GMT

This May, you’ll notice The EGC Group has gone through some changes. We’re excited to introduce our new logo, website, and overall brand enhancement. As you’ll see, it’s all about connecting. Why?

Because today it’s more important than ever to make sure your marketing investment actually makes connections that lead to results. Connecting big ideas locally. Connecting brands to new markets and new customers. Connecting new media with traditional media. Connecting with those that are most likely to use your service.

At EGC, we’ve been “Connection Specialists” for over 20 years for leading brands and companies.

EGC Announces the Social Media Survival Package

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:29:11 GMT

The EGC Convergence Marketing Event confirmed that social networking is a must for every marketer, but many can’t get over the hurdles of time, budget, or logistics. To solve these issues, EGC has introduced the Social Media Survival Package. Included in this package is:

•The development of a custom blog with RSS feeds
•Set up with custom graphics of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts, newsletter creation and initial distribution.
•Plus, EGC will provide you with creative to promote your new social networking applications within your own site so your customers know you are there.

It’s everything a social marketer needs to start a dialogue with potential customers, and it’s value-priced and turnkey. For more information on this package, please click here.

The EGC/The New York Times Convergence Marketing Event

Wed, 13 May 2009 19:29:11 GMT

On Tuesday February 24th, The EGC Group and The New York Times held an important panel discussion with industry leaders with the goal of uncovering the best practices in converging online and offline marketing. Experts from Google, NBC Universal, Emerging Vision and EGC discussed the hottest topics on everyone’s mind, and some interesting conversations emerged. How can marketers adjust offline creative for online media? How can search marketing be applied to customer research? How can social media be successful and trackable?

Visit link to view videos.

The EGC Group Wins Record Breaking Number of BOLI Awards

Wed, 06 May 2009 19:29:11 GMT

The EGC Group had its best showing ever at the 36th Annual Best of Long Island (BOLI) awards, winning an unprecedented 34 total awards. Included in the 34 awards were nine “Best of Category” statues, more than any other agency this year.

The EGC Group, recently voted Best Advertising Agency for the second year in a row by Long Island Business News, won awards for work across a variety of categories including print advertising, online media, logo development, sales promotion and overall campaign development. Notably, EGC swept the Foreign Language Newspaper category, taking home three awards for work on Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Brother International.

Ernie Canadeo, President of The EGC Group, noted “We are thrilled to receive the recognition and it’s a testament to both the EGC creative team and the clients we service. We are pleased that we can deliver great creative work that still positions our clients well in today’s economy.”

Best of Category Awards included:
B2B Advertising Campaign (Inference Data: Fast Document Search)

Sales Promotion Campaign (Brother International: Quattro Fabric Landscape Retail)

Public Service Advertising Campaign (Rainforest Alliance: Web Launch Campaign)

Political Advertising, Print or Broadcast (Suffolk County PBA)

Self Promotion Campaign (The EGC Group: Fresh Ideas)

Print Ad Series, Four-Color (Rainforest Alliance: Web Launch Campaign)

Consumer Magazine Retail (Brother International: Project Runway Sell Sheet)

Pre-Printed Inserts Magazine (Brother International: Project Runway)

Foreign Language Newspaper Advertising (Bethpage Federal Credit Union: Youth Savings Ad)

Finalists included work done for Sterling Optical, Site for Sore Eyes, Green Acres Mall, Autism United and others.

Ernie Canadeo on tightening the belts

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:29:11 GMT

by David Reich-Hale
Long Island Business News
Published: March 13, 2009

Ernie Canadeo has lived through good times and bad and here is his message: A bad economy does not give you an excuse to stop marketing. LIBN spoke to the EGC Group president about his company, the recession and where his industry is headed.

It’s a pretty tough economy, so tell us, when is it going to turn around and what should companies do?

That’s the question. I started of EGC in 1985 and we had some great years in the mid-1980s. Then the market died in the early 1990s. We were down again after 2001 and then it went up again. This downturn is a bit tougher than the last couple, and it may take longer to get out of it. Companies are being careful and they have to watch overhead. But they shouldn't pull back on marketing. Companies that continue to market during a downturn pick up market share when the economy turns around. We’re also seeing a convergence of markets, where there’s a combination of online marketing with traditional marketing.

What’s the trend?

We've been working with our media partners and vendors, negotiating better prices. That’s happening across the board.

And the media is willing to negotiate?

Everyone is willing to renegotiate. They have to.

So what happens when the economy turns around? I ask because I read a story recently in which shoppers at stores such as Banana Republic, who get 50 percent off or more on clothes, will never be willing to pay full price again. What’s your take?

Life as we know it has changed. We've been a consumer-driven society for years. Everyone has lived beyond what their salary is. On Long Island, look at a family making $100,000 or $150,000. Look at how much they paid for their house, and dinner and a baseball game or hockey game. They've survived on credit. They run up credit and they drive a new car. We've all lived beyond our means.

And that’s over?

Our parents didn't live beyond their means. I grew up middle class and we went out to dinner once a month and it was usually Chinese. I think we’re reverting to that. Our kids want to walk into Abercrombie and spend $70 for a polo shirt. Those days are gone.

How will that change your business?

Over the next five to 10 years, companies are going to need to offer a lot of value. We have to offer a value proposition. At my agency, we give seminars that we pay for. I filled up a room at Fox Hollow recently and I'm going to get business for that. I'm looking out at the Sweet Hollow Diner and if I see a sandwich, a good sandwich, for $6.99, I'll probably buy that. It’s good and it’s affordable while, down the road, I might pay a lot more at Blackstone’s or another high-priced restaurant.

So people are going to be more careful. But they still need to get out there and market themselves.

Yes. I always think there is opportunity. Aggressive companies can pick up market share, especially now that so many companies have retrenched. Also, a company that has some financial strength will have a much better chance at doing well than a company that is highly leveraged.

EGC Nominated for 32 BOLI Awards

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:29:11 GMT

EGC Group has been nominated for an unprecedented 32 Best Of Long Island (BOLI) Awards. The BOLI Awards are creative awards given to companies and advertising agencies based on Long Island.

EGC received nominations in over a dozen categories including: Best Advertising Campaign, Internet E-Commerce Website, Newspaper Ad, Magazine Ad, Logo Design, Point of Purchase, Foreign Language Advertising. In making the announcement, Ernie Canadeo, EGC President said “I am delighted and excited that EGC has been nominated for so many awards for work we have created for so many of our clients. It is a tribute to the hard working employees of EGC, as well as our wonderful clients who allow us to produce award winning work for them.”

The Convergence Marketing Forum

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:29:11 GMT

After the event, attendees were encouraged to continue the conversation online via the EGC Convergence Marketing forum. Click here to view the forum, see what some of the attendees and panelists had to say, or feel free to post your own questions.

EGC's Creative Recognized in the 24th Annual Admissions Advertising Awards

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:29:11 GMT

EGC was recognized in several categories by the 24th Annual Admissions Advertising Awards, sponsored by Admissions Marketing Report.

EGC’s creative for the Culinary Academy of Long Island won a gold award in the “Newspaper Advertising/Single” category. EGC’s work for Briarcliffe College was also recognized for excellence in the categories of “Outdoor Transit/Billboard”, “Newspaper Advertising/Single”, and “Total Advertising Campaign.”

The Admissions Advertising Awards is the largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. This year, over two-thousand entries were received from more than one-thousand colleges, universities and secondary schools from all fifty states and several foreign countries. Judges for the awards consisted of a national panel of admissions’ marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals, and the editorial board of Admissions Marketing Report.

Upon announcement of the awards, Ernie Canadeo, President of EGC, said “We’re honored to accept these awards from a respected panel of our peers. This national recognition speaks to our entire agency’s commitment to produce top-quality creative that generates positive results for our clients.” Bob Costabile, Creative Director at EGC, added “We’re thrilled to learn of this achievement. Congratulations to our art directors, copywriters, account service team and clients for each being an integral part of our winning team.”

Leviton Manufacturing Co. Selects The EGC Group for Product Catalog Development

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:29:11 GMT

Leviton Manufacturing Co., the leading North American producer of electrical and electronic products, has hired The EGC Group for product catalog development.

EGC will assist Leviton in the creative development and production of its 500+ page product catalog. In making the announcement, EGC President Ernie Canadeo said, "We are pleased that Leviton selected EGC based on our decades of experience working on marketing programs and projects for leading companies such as Leviton."

Project Spotlight: Brand Rebuild for NAPA

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:29:11 GMT

North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) knew just who to turn to when they needed to launch a new brand identity. After naming The EGC Group their Agency of Record in 2008, NAPA contracted EGC to develop a new website that would help position them as the progressive leader in the field of anesthesia. EGC embarked on the task of bringing other NAPA marketing materials in line with the look of the "new NAPA." This included revamping recruitment ads and the NAPA PowerPoint template to reflect the new look of the brand, as well as developing trade show materials that brought the look of the brand to life. Working closely with NAPA to convey the key brand attributes in just a few short points that can reach a busy trade show attendant, EGC developed an 8' trade show booth and three trade show banners for use in the many shows NAPA attends during the year. As EGC and NAPA move their strategic partnership into 2009, EGC will continue developing recruitment marketing efforts for NAPA, work to increase conversion of leads obtained from marketing efforts, and manage a number of Web 2.0 initiatives to keep the NAPA website an updated, relevant source of anesthesia news and information.

EGC Vice President speaks at the Melville Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast Series

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:29:11 GMT

The Melville Chamber of Commerce held its monthly informative breakfast meeting at Dowling College’s Melville center on Tuesday, January 20th. This business breakfast series features top speakers in their field or business.

Nicole Larrauri, Vice President of the EGC Group, was asked to speak about marketing in today's economy and how to emerge a market leader. Mrs. Larrauri presented the audience with an overview of the best practices to follow for businesses to see continuous growth and customer retention during tough economic times. The presentation touched on all aspects of marketing, including the importance of smart online marketing, tracking success of campaigns, social networking, negotiating with media and customer relationships.

The EGC Group Selects DoubleClick as Digital Ad Management Solution to Better Serve Growing Client Base

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:29:11 GMT

The EGC Group, voted Best Advertising Agency by Long Island Business News, has selected DoubleClick Inc., a premier provider of digital marketing technology and services, as its provider for digital ad management. The EGC Group will be using DoubleClick's integrated DART® platform to meet the digital marketing needs of The EGC Group and its clients. The EGC Group's Digital Department is rapidly growing and specializes in search engine marketing, online media buying and planning, web development and social marketing. DoubleClick's integrated DART platform allows The EGC Group to better serve display advertising and conduct effective search marketing campaigns.

The solution also allows for more comprehensive analysis and reporting across all digital channels to deliver optimal results for The EGC Group’s clients. Through the use of DoubleClick's DART platform, including DART for Advertisers (DFA) and DART Search, the EGC Group collaborates with its clients to seamlessly integrate digital advertising into overall marketing efforts. The integrated solution gives the EGC Group clients the ability to manage all their digital marketing with greater efficiency and flexibility. "The EGC Group's Digital Department has experienced significant growth recently and we are pleased with the streamlined ad management services of DoubleClick” said Ernie Canadeo, President and CEO of The EGC Group. Tony Valado, The EGC Group’s Digital Strategist notes, "We are really looking forward to implementing the most advanced ad management platform on the market today, allowing us to centrally manage creative assets, traffic more compelling ads, track results beyond impressions and clicks, and ultimately provide better conversion and optimal ROI to our clients."

DoubleClick and DART are trademarks of Google Inc.

Almost 1,000 joined us for a family night of fun and celebration on New Year’s Eve!

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:29:11 GMT

New Year's Eve 2008, turned out to be a terrific one for the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City when almost 1,000 Long Islanders turned up for a truly family-oriented fundraiser, featuring live entertainment, IMAX Movies, video games and more. The EGC Group co-produced, coordinated and sponsored the event along with Bethpage Federal Credit Union, National Grid, Motorola, Newsday, Southwest Airlines and the Long Island Radio Group.

The night was all about family fun and included interactive children’s activities such as crafting, a teen center with video games like “Rock Band” and “DDR,” three different IMAX Short films, plus admission into all of the exhibits from both the Cradle of Aviation Museum and the Nassau County Firefighters Museum. Additionally, a group of local middle school performers played holiday favorites for everyone on the Atrium Stage. All this and an unlimited family-friendly Buffet Dinner led to a giant screen simulcast of the Midnight Ball Drop in NYC!

Hundreds of adults and their children were amused by Mr. Robb’s pantomime comedy, amazed by the sensational aerial action of Spheris, featuring the unbelievable juggling of Greg Kennedy, and awed by the acrobatic strength, ingenuity and precision of the three performers in Galumpha, our finale!

EGC receives special thank you for CreateAthon

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:29:11 GMT

See PDF link

EGC Voted Best Advertising Agency - Again

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:29:11 GMT

EGC was voted Best Advertising Agency on Long Island by the readers of Long Island Business News for the second time in two years. A record breaking 20,000 votes were cast.

EGC was voted runner up in two additional categories, Best Consulting Company and Best Web Developer.

Upon winning the awards, Ernie Canadeo, President of EGC, said “It is a testament to our employees’ creativity and hard work ethic that we were once again selected by the Long Island business community as the area’s Best Advertising Agency. We are also thrilled to be noted as one of the finest consulting companies and web developers, as we have expanded our Brand Consulting and Digital Media divisions this past year to give our clients the support and guidance needed during these difficult economic times.”

How to Market in Today’s Economy: The EGC Group Hosts Economic Seminar

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:43:57 GMT

In response to the current changing economic climate, The EGC Group hosted an informative seminar on November 4th to provide clients with direction on how to market effectively, maintain profitability and grow market share.

The seminar began with The EGC Group’s President, Ernie Canadeo, who spoke about the importance of staying competitive and adapting to changing times. Dr. Pearl Kamer, Chief Economist for the LIA, reported on the current state of the national and regional economy, the economic challenges ahead, and how we can best prepare for the future. Timothy Knight, Publisher of Newsday, discussed how Newsday and major media companies are dealing with the economic downturn and new products and initiatives that can help advertisers obtain better results from their advertising. Nicole Larrauri, Vice President of The EGC Group, gave an overview of marketing best practices today. Rich D’Amico, The EGC Group’s Brand Strategist, also spoke to the importance of brand focus, customer profiling and targeting. While the outlook for the economy continues to look uncertain, EGC is poised to help clients emerge as market leaders.

Riverhead Building Supply Hires The EGC Group as Agency of Record

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:29:11 GMT

After an extensive agency search, Riverhead Building Supply announced they have chosen The EGC Group as its Agency of Record. The review process, which lasted approximately two months, began with Riverhead Building Supply meeting with eight different agencies over the summer. That list was whittled down to three finalists before they made their final decision in mid-September. In the coming months we’ll be rolling up our sleeves to work closely with Riverhead Building Supply to develop an integrated marketing program. Planning and research have already begun with a target of early 2009 for implementation and launch.

Charities Confronting Economic Storm

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:29:11 GMT

- By Laura Albanese | Special to Newsday

With the economy hurting, nonprofit agencies that aid those in need say they soon will be forced to scramble for assistance themselves -- that is, unless businesses all over Long Island step up to help.

Representatives of several large nonprofit agencies and elected officials gathered Friday in Melville to announce a $1-million-plus campaign crafted to drum up interest in and support of nonprofits, including Big Brother-Big Sister of Long Island, Autism United and the United Way of Long Island.

"As Wall Street hurts, so do our local communities," said Legis. Dennis Dunne (R-Levittown), chairman of the Suffolk County Legislature's Economic Development Committee. "They're the volunteers. They're the ones that help when they get home . . . That's not going to happen anymore."

The pro bono campaign by EGC Group, a Melville-based advertising agency, will include print, Internet and radio ads on Long Island and in New York City. The hope is that the monthlong campaign will inspire more businesses and individuals to contribute whatever they can to human-service agencies. The local initiative is part of creatAthon, a national effort by more than 30 agencies.

Dunne said while the effects of the Wall Street crisis have not had a full impact on charities, it's only a matter of time. "How are we going to make sure that there's no effect on the weakest of the weak?" he asked.

EGC contacted media outlets and found photographers and models willing to donate time and supplies. The ads will run in Newsday, the Daily News and a number of local papers. The firm also secured radio spots on most of New York's major channels.

Lance Elder, president of the Education & Assistance Corp., an agency that provides an array of educational and counseling services, said that the work done by nonprofits is "crucial and will continue to be more so as this economic downturn hits us."

Many agency representatives in attendance added that the winter months are often the most taxing for charities, whose clientele will struggle with rising fuel costs and a greater cost of living.

"Most people on Long Island are a paycheck away from being in a situation where they need services," said Christopher Hahn, president of the United Way of Long Island. "This winter, we're bracing for a perfect storm of economic crisis."

EGC and Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi team up to announce help for charities

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT

In what could be a warning of potential budget cuts for not-for-profit agencies, Executive Thomas Suozzi and the head of a major Long Island ad agency yesterday announced a marketing plan to help local agencies raise money.

"The number of people needing help have gone up, while the funds available to these humanitarian agencies have gone down during this economic downturn," Suozzi said at a news conference in Mineola.

He did not say the agencies would get less county money in 2009, but he has said that "everything is on the table" in his effort to keep spending down.

Ernie Canadeo, the chief executive of EGC Media, which he called Long Island's leading advertising agency, announced that on Sept. 18, over 24 hours, his firm will donate 1,000 man hours - worth about $1 million - for a "CreateAthon" of professional ads to get money for the agencies.

"We will then reach out to major media to donate ad space," he said, adding later that Newsday had agreed to participate.

"Long Island not-for-profits, with their limited resources, are critical to the health and well-being of our communities," said Newsday spokeswoman Deidra Parrish Williams. "We are impressed with the pro-bono work being done by EGC to create these ads, and we will be donating space in Newsday to make sure they are seen by all Long Islanders."

Matt Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, pledged the business community's support. "It is important to symbolize to the entire community that we're there to support the needy," he added.

Leaders of several not-for-profits spoke at the conference, including United Way president Christopher Hahn, who said "there are 300,000 poor people here on Long Island."

Other agencies represented included Momma's House; Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Long Island; Dress for Success; Autism United; Art Start; and the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.

Tony Mikes from Second Wind Network speaks at EGC's annual strategic planning meeting.

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT

Tony Mikes, President and Founder of the Second Wind Network, gave a presentation and workshops to EGC employees at the annual EGC Strategic Planning Meeting held on Wednesday, August 20th at the Fox Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York. EGC management also provided presentations and workshops at the offsite meeting. Tony spent two days with agency management and employees offering new ideas and methods of enhancing the overall client experience, account planning and the creative work produced by the agency. Second Wind Network is the largest association of small to midsize advertising agencies in the world.

New York Islanders Appoint EGC Agency of Record

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT

The New York Islanders recently named The EGC Group as their agency of record. In this expanded role, EGC will help form strategy behind the team’s advertising development and placement, with an end goal of helping the Islanders strengthen their brand and drive ticket sales.

The partnership between the organizations began when the team hired the agency to conduct research that would help them gain insight into their fans’ perceptions of the team itself and the overall game experience. The success of the research prompted the team to seek additional services from EGC. In its enlarged capacity, EGC will provide the Islanders full agency services, including creative development, media planning and buying, research and digital strategy execution.

EGC To Devote Sleepless Night to Charity

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT

EGC Selected as Sole Metro-NY Marketing Agency For CreateAthon 2008:
Will Devote 24 Hours of Creative Energy to Help Local Charities

This year, as summer is fading to fall, we at The EGC Group will be gearing up to participate in CreateAthon 2008, a 24-hour-long event during which advertising agencies across North America dedicate their services to produce pro bono work for charities.

The entire EGC team will be contributing to this worthwhile effort on September 18th – 19th 2008. Recipients of this effort include:

1. Art Start: Helps to transform the lives of children and teenagers through the creative process
2. The Rainforest Alliance: Works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior
3. Big Brothers Big Sisters: Helps children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors
4. Dress for Success: Promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, career development tools and a network of support
5. Autism United: An Advovacy foundation that helps families of children and children with Autism
In announcing the event, Ernie Canadeo, President of the EGC Group, noted “As the only Metro New York agency selected to participate in this year’s effort, EGC is particularly proud to be joining other prominent marketing agencies throughout North America that are helping charities during this tough economic time.”

EGC was motivated to participate in this year’s effort by our commitment to the Long Island and Greater New York not-for-profit community, and by the fact that charities are seeing fewer and smaller contributions due to the weakening economy. Johanna De Los Santos, Executive Director of Art Start and EGC CreateAthon recipient, noted “EGC is providing crucial services not only to help nonprofits save money but to empower their fundraising at a time when the economy is down.”

All charity projects are done in their entirely—from concept to completion—during the round-the-clock event. Since its inception nearly 10 years ago, CreateAthon has produced nearly 2,150 projects for more than 1,000 nonprofits. The total value of this work is nearly $8.5 million; this represents a tremendous contribution to the recipient organizations, which often have little or no marketing budgets of their own.

Log on to www.egcgroup.com/createathon for more updates on CreateAthon, to see round-the-clock photos of our team burning the midnight oil and to view the creative work done to help these worthy organizations.

California Eyewear Chain Selects EGC

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:29:11 GMT

The EGC Group has added California’s Bay Area eyewear and eye care chain, Site for Sore Eyes, to its growing stable of clients. EGC already services a number of the brands held by its parent, Garden City, N.Y.-based Emerging Vision, including Sterling Optical and Opti-Capital.

EGC will oversee all marketing for Site for Sore Eyes, including television, print and online advertising, with an end goal of helping the franchise group grow its sales.

About Site for Sore Eyes
Site for Sore Eyes opened its first location in Berkeley, Calif., in 1979. Just six years later, it had grown into an eight-store chain and began offering franchises. It was acquired in 1993 by Emerging Vision.

Today, the chain boasts 38 locations and, in addition to being mentioned in Crain's Franchise Buyer and in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top franchise operators in the nation, it has been recognized in Vision Monday as one of the top 10 optical retailers in the United States.

EGC Names Digital Strategist

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:29:11 GMT

EGC's position as an interactive marketing leader just got stronger with the addition of a digital strategist: As of July 7, Tony Valado will take the reins as our first digital strategist.

Most recently, he worked as director of online marketing at MTV Networks’ mtvu.com. Tony’s extensive background prior to that includes experience as an account supervisor at Avenue A | Razorfish (one of the world’s largest digital media companies), as an online marketing manager for HarperCollins and as a marketing manager for 1-800-FLOWERS.com.

As EGC’s digital strategist, Tony will work closely with the account management teams to ensure that all clients are appropriately represented online. In addition to helping form strategies for website development, campaigns, search and online advertising and email marketing programs, Tony will also keep pace with emerging digital technologies and make informed recommendations for how clients should use them.

Tony earned his MBA in Finance and Marketing from Hofstra University. He brings with him an extensive knowledge of a wide array of digital communication methods and a strategic focus to ensure the entire lifecycle of every project is executed within strategy.

Join us in welcoming Tony V!

North American Partners in Anesthesia Names The EGC Group Its Agency of Record

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:29:11 GMT

North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) has chosen The EGC Group as its Agency of Record. EGC’s technological skill set, responsiveness and strong practical creativity were among the reasons the group’s Senior Vice President for Business Development, Thomas Delaney, cited as the basis for NAPA’s decision.

EGC’s first task for NAPA will be to revamp its Web assets, building a new, search-engine-optimized website that will help to communicate the NAPA brand to its users and prospects.

NAPA is the nation’s largest anesthesia group. Based in Roslyn Heights, NY, the organization provides anesthesia and related services at 18 hospitals as well as numerous ambulatory surgery centers and physicians’ offices in New York, New Hampshire and Maryland. NAPA has been helping leading hospitals and doctors to achieve operational and administrative cost-efficiencies since 1986.

EGC To Launch Social Networking Service

Wed, 21 May 2008 19:29:11 GMT

It’s not hard to see that social marketing is key to the future of the industry—just pick up any trade publication, visit a marketing blog or peruse an industry conference agenda and you’ll have proof. So, to keep your business’ message moving at the pace of technology, EGC is launching a complete social marketing service package.

We will begin by determining your customers’ and prospects’ social media usage habits. Then, we will get your brand actively involved in those online communities—creating a presence for it on sites such as Facebook and MySpace, posting podcasts on sites like YouTube and Flickr—participating wherever your clients and prospects participate. But we won’t stop there.

EGC will build and manage your company’s blog, keeping it fresh by monitoring pertinent online media and proposing topics based on what’s interesting to your audience, adding links and photography and handling the overall design chores. And, while we’re at it, we will be watching out for opportunities to comment, add quotes or get involved in other ways with the sites where we get our inspiration.

Then, to ensure that our efforts get your brand the attention it deserves, EGC will generate online “buzz” about your brand’s services or products, drawing attention to its news of interest to your target market and driving traffic to your website.

In short, EGC will use our research, experience and insight to create and manage your company’s entire online persona, keeping your brand’s message at the forefront of technology—and its users’ and prospects’ minds—and keeping it light years ahead of its competitors.

EGC President Ernie Canadeo Named LI Man of the Year

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:29:11 GMT

EGC President Ernie Canadeo Named LI Man of the Year
Ernie Canadeo was named Long Island Man of the Year by the Suffolk Community Council (SCC), one of Long Island’s largest and most respected charitable organizations.

The award was presented at the association’s 75th Anniversary Gala, held at the Venetian Yacht Club in Babylon Village on May 8th, 2008. Mr. Canadeo also was presented with citations from various government officials recognizing his philanthropic endeavors. According to Judy Panullo, Executive Director of SCC, it was the most successful event in the council’s 75-year history.

EGC Nominated for 17 BOLI Awards

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:29:11 GMT

Once again, EGC has made a strong showing at the Best of Long Island (BOLI) Awards with a total of 17 nominations on work created for 11 EGC clients. Nominations include Campaign of the Year and Retail Campaign of the Year, as well as nominations for virtually every category, including TV, Radio, Newspaper, Out-of-Home, Packaging and Political advertising. The final award ceremony will be held in May. Go EGC!

Noticia Hispanoamericana reports on EGC’s Hispanic Marketing Seminar

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:30:37 GMT

La Long Island Association con más de 3000 miembros, entre las que se cuentan las compañías más grandes de Long Island, invitó a The EGC Group, una importante empresa de mercadeo, publicidad y servicios interactivos, a que explicara el impacto e iniciativas de mercadeo sobre la comunidad latina en Long Island.

La charla se basó en el importante impacto y la oportunidad de hacer mercadeo y establecer nuevos negocios, si tenemos en cuenta que los productos que se están vendiendo de manera masiva, son pedidos por la comunidad hispana, haciendo crecer la economía de la isla. La población anglosajona se está mudando fuera de Long Island y más hispanos están llegando al mercado, con nuevas necesidades de productos y oportunidad para hacer negocios.

The EGC Group, a través de su dirigente Ed Pérez, destacó la importancia que juegan las empresas en la economía de Long Island y el inmenso futuro que se observa en el comercio de la comarca. El seminario se realizó en la 300 Broadhollow Road (Banco de América) Melville.

EGC Employs Interactive Cable Application

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:29:11 GMT

The ClickZ Network
By Matthew G. Nelson

If that dress on Project Runway is hideously awful, more people in more markets will be able to click their remote to say so, following a deal with four separate cable providers and Bravo, the show's network.

NBC Universal, which owns the Bravo cable channel network, announced yesterday it has signed on competing cable networks Cox, Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable, to enable their customer's set-top boxes to interact with viewers during the fashion designer reality contest show. Viewers of Project Runway Season Four, currently airing Wednesday nights, will be presented with interactive overlays during each episode to answer trivia questions or vote for their favorite designer or outfit. The overlays are sponsored by Brother International Corp., which is the official sewing machine sponsor for Project Runway, and has a product placement deal with the show.

While the collaboration involving the four cable providers and Bravo is still officially a trial run, as only customers in select areas will be able to access the features, advertisers shouldn't miss the importance of four cable providers joining together in a common advertising goal, said Alex Dudley, a spokesperson for Time Warner Cable.

"We believe in this technology and the importance of working with it all in concert. That's the gist of this demonstration. That individually we've all used some of the similar technology and bringing it all together really demonstrates the possibility of some real synergy here for advertising partners," said Dudley. Advertisers making a national buy want to make sure ads look and feel the same across cable companies -- an obstacle this initiative is intended to address.

The same interactive sponsored elements will be made available to the show's viewers using Cox in Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, San Diego, CA, and Las Vegas, NV; Charter in Los Angeles; Comcast in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, FL,; and Time Warner Cable in Greensboro, NC. Up until this initiative, viewers from only one cable provider at a time participated in voting.

Brother has branding deals with Bravo for Project Runway, including its logo placed on the clock overlooking the sewing room that ticks down time for the show's contestants. It was impressed enough with the collaboration of the cable providers to sign on for exclusive sponsorship of the overlays, according to Carolyn Woodside, marketing coordinator, for The EGC Group, the advertising agency of record for Brother.

"This was proposed to us from Bravo and it sounded like a great deal that was too great to pass up. It's relatively new and we try to keep them competitive that way. The fact that they brought so many different markets together probably influenced us more to participate in this opportunity since it does reach so many households," she said.

Woodside also noted that as television viewers are increasingly using DVR devices like Tivo and others to skip advertisements, Brother is eager to reach consumers in new and more subtle ways than standard television commercials. "If they are fast forwarding through our commercials, at least they will see our branding one way or the other," she said. "As these companies come up with better ways for advertisers to get involved, the better it is for us."

EGC Produces Largest Waterfront Festival on the East Coast—More than 200,000 Attend!

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:29:11 GMT

The 24th Annual Oyster Festival, held October 13 and 14, was another phenomenally successful EGC Events production. More than 200,000 enjoyed tall ships; a huge, tented arts and crafts sale; thrill rides; camel rides and, of course, the freshest seafood anywhere! Onlookers were awed by the traditional Oyster Eating and Shucking contests, pirate treasure hunts and great, live music.

EGC Voted Best Advertising Agency on Long Island

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:29:11 GMT

The votes are in and it’s a landslide! The readers of Long Island Business News have voted EGC the Best Advertising Agency on Long Island. Nearly 15,000 votes were cast by Long Island business professionals and the outcome is undisputed: out of more than the 100 agencies in the running, EGC is number 1!

Briarcliffe College Chooses EGC as Advertising Agency of Record

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:29:11 GMT

After one of the largest and most competitive advertising reviews in Long Island’s history, Briarcliffe College has chosen EGC as its agency of record. Briarcliffe cited EGC’s insightful strategic planning, excellent creative work and premier media-buying capabilities as the primary reasons for its selection. EGC will handle all marketing responsibilities for Briarcliffe, with the goals of helping the college crystallize its positive image and grow enrollment.

Nicole Larrauri Named Vice President of EGC

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:52:14 GMT

Nicole Larrauri has been named Vice President of The EGC Group.
In making the announcement, Ernie Canadeo, President of EGC, said: “Nicole’s strategic, managerial and marketing abilities are unparalleled. She has been an invaluable asset to EGC for almost a decade, and I look forward to working with her to further grow EGC and strengthen our role with our clients for many more years.”

Nicole began her career at EGC in 1998 and has since served as an Account Manager and, most recently, Director of Client Services.

Cambridge Pavers, Inc. of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, names The EGC Group its advertising and marketing agency of record.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:29:11 GMT

Cambridge manufactures and distributes Cambridge Pavingstones with ArmorTec, recognized as the finest paving stones available. Cambridge Center — a centralized manufacturing, distribution and customer service complex — is the largest of its kind in North America. Cambridge Pavingstones are available through an authorized Distributor Network that services over 20 states.

EGC is developing an integrated media campaign that will launch in late Spring, 2007.