company insert

How to

dramatically

increase

the value

and impact

of every

sales dollar.

Beyond Space & Time

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

he very thing that determines the

success of the marketing dollars

you spend, the products and services

you sell, and ultimately your company

itself has a 98% mortality rate.

T

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

No, it isn’t advertising space or time.It’s the idea.

The idea is the backbone of every business.

It’s what creates the identity and image of the company and what it sells.

It’s what gets people to buy. It’s what gets people to sell.

Everything starts with an idea:

l The company.l The company name.l The product or service to be sold.l The product or service name.l The company logo.l The product or service trademark.l The packaging.l The advertising.l The communication material.

People don’t buy products or services.People buy ideas.

In reality, business and selling are a battle of ideas and the battle takes place in the mind of the buyer.

The winner is the company that communicates the right idea, with the greatest impact on the mind of the potential buyer.

This insert shows examples of how we think and how ideas work.

It also explains how we use “The I Factor” to increase the success rate of ideas.

(98% fail)The Idea

BRAND ING • COMMUN ICAT IONS • CORPORATE IDENT I TY • DES IGN • MARKET ING • MOT I VAT ION • PROMOT ION • STRATEG IC PLANN ING • COMMEMORAT I VE ART • PUBL IC RELAT IONS

the i am group inchelping clients win the battle of ideas.

1.800.421.2358www.iamgroupinc.com

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Marketing success is achieved by takingadvantage of weaknesses and opportunitiesthat exist in the marketplace and creatingpowerful ideas — ideas that are transformedinto verbal and visual images that capitalizeon these weaknesses and opportunities andseparate one’s company, product andservice from the competition.

That’s what we, the i am group inc, helpcompanies do.

the i am group inc was formed by a group ofpeople from the ad agency, design andcorporate sides of the business.

Our goal was, and still is, not to just createmarketing support material for companies,but to help companies achieve greaterselling success by developing, implementingand managing powerful ideas that helpgenerate a greater return from everymarketing dollar invested.

We do what ad agencies do — and then some.

We do what promotion houses do — and then some.

We do what design organizations do — and then some.

We just approach things a little differently.

The Non-Office Office

We don’t operate out of a typical officesetting.

There are no walls or cubicles to restrict the flow of ideas.

Instead, there are wide-open spaces filled with rotating art . . . to stimulate the imagination.

A total freedom to challenge, expand, create and implement what is the lifebloodof business — ideas!

It works.

Success Comes From Breaking the Rules

Some call what we do “outside the boxthinking.”

Dr. Edward DeBono calls it “lateral thinking.”

You can call it what you want but rememberone very important thing — it works!

Introducing a uniquealternative to servicesthat no longer work for most businesses

How to Improve Your MarketingSuccess Rate by DramaticallyLowering the Death Rate of Your Ideas

No boxes — just wide-open areas with trees and rotating art.

The success or failure of every product, service and company is based on the creation, implementation andmanagement of “the idea.” That’s what we, the i am group inc, help companies do.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Using a Chimp to Make Chumps Out of the Competition

A British manufacturer of textile identification equipment had trouble entering the U.S. Market.

We found that the major reason was that

potential buyers felt that they would have problems training employees to run the machines.

Solution?

We trained a chimp to work the machines(in less than an hour) and took it to everymajor trade show in the country.

It not only sold one hell of a lot ofequipment; the fascinated mobs of spectators it drew helped sell the company’s other products too.

Our new facilities, at “the idea ranch” in New York, contain over 9,000 square feet of creation space including

design facilities, a think tank, and a photo studio on 13 acres with roaming Irish Wolfhounds and chickens that lay blue eggs.

All within 5 minutes of the airport and 10 minutes to the train.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Controlling the Peddling Pig

Selling price is usually the ploy of someonewith nothing to sell.

It can be very dangerous (just look what it’sdone to the retail industry) and, in mostcases, removes valuable profit from thebottom line.

A leading magazine publisher, with abusiness publication serving the multi-billiondollar process industry, was constantly beingattacked by its four competitors serving the industry, due to its much higher rate per thousand.

Instead of doing what it had been doing foryears “defending itself,” we suggested thatthe client take the offensive.

We ran almost copy-free ads in the client’sown publication (costing almost nothing).

One ad showed four lunch buckets and afine leather briefcase.

Another showed four subway tokens and aMercedes-Benz car key.

Still, another showed four hamburgers and agiant porterhouse steak.

Another showed four beer cans and a bottleof French champagne.

The last one showed five “Men’s Room”doors and the door to the “ExecutiveWashroom.”

The only other elements in the ads were themasthead of our client’s publication and oneline of copy underneath it . . . “The only process industry publication servingmanagement exclusively.”

What the ads did was dramatically positionthe competitive publications as reachinglabor and our client’s publication reachingmanagement — the people who buy.

It not only increased ad pages dramatically,it cooked the peddling pigs and their price selling.

Twelve Hours of Television Exposure on a Nickel and Dime Budget

A major carpet company that had never experienced much in the way of results from its advertising was looking to impact the market with a new, highlydurable product.

We created a name, trade and consumeradvertising, point of purchase and incentiveprogram, but were looking for some real impact (on their small budget) that could bemerchandised for months.

While eating pasta in our favorite GreenwichVillage restaurant one day, a discussion ofthe Columbus Day Parade came up and outof it, an idea that would give us the impactwe were looking for.

We contacted the organizers of New York’sColumbus Day Parade and offered to create a gigantic Italian flag out of the newcarpet and install it right in the center ofFifth Avenue where the television camerascovered the full day’s activities live.

“Why have your big show take place ondirty streets when you can have your flag asyour stage!” we said.

They agreed.

So, on Columbus Day, for six full hours liveand six hours taped repeat . . . plus nationalpick up, millions of Americans watched ourclient’s new carpeting — with constantmention and client spokespeople on TV to support it.

It became the official carpet of theColumbus Day Parade and wasmerchandised to carpet wholesalers andretailers across the country.

The more than 1,200 awardswe’ve won, gives our clientsadditional media exposure.

“I have the mind of an 8-year-old, but I’m notmentally impaired.”— Victor Valla, Senior VP,Director, Commemorative Art

“I have the mind of an 8-year-old, but I’m not mentally challenged.” — I Rachael Miller, Exec. VP, Design

Most ideas die on the selling battlefield becausecompanies fail to use “The I Factor” to manage them.

We emulate the mind of an 8-year-old, which is free of “can’t do,” “won’t work” and “never-been-done-before” attitudes, which spell instant failure.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

They were given mounted pieces of thecarpet from the parade. And it washeralded as “the carpet that armytanks, trucks, cars and 25,000 feetcouldn’t destroy!”

The program, of which thecarpeting of a major city streetwas a part, became the mostsuccessful carpet introduction inthe history of the industry.

$65 million in sales in six short months.

This “out of the box” thinking works in allareas of marketing: identity, packaging,promotion, special events, etc.

It works because it’s not one-shot,cutesy-pie headlines.

Everything we do is developed usingstrategy that evolves from a system we call“The I Factor.”

Lowering the Casualty Rate of Ideas

We said it before and we’ll say it again.

Marketing is a war.

A battle of ideas.

The battle takes place in the mind of the buyer.

And like any battle, military or marketing,one has little hope of winning withoutknowledge of battlefield conditions.

What will it take to get your targetedsubjects to surrender . . . and buy yourproduct or service?

Do your enemies, the competition, have any weaknesses that can be exploited or strengths that you will have to defend against?

Then you have your allies, the people whoare going to sell your products or services.Do they support your “idea” or what stepswill have to be taken to get them to?

What are the best media weapons to use topenetrate the targeted subjects with theleast resistance from the enemy?

Without this knowledge, the battle and thewar will most likely be lost.

That’s why we created “The IFactor,” a system that evaluates

the potential impact of your idea on the minds of customers and potential customers.

It measures your ideaagainst the buyer’s,

seller’s, and competitor’sideas, by means of an

internal/external audit.

It evaluates your competitor’sstrengths and weaknesses and the weaknesses andopportunities that exist in the marketplace.

Then, it analyzes yourcompetitor’s communication

strategies, the media being used, and provides direction in media selection — both personal and non-personal — to determine your most cost-effectiveavenue of communicating with the prospect.

This data, which tells you what’s takingplace in the minds of the three mostimportant groups of people, is then used to plan creative strategy that will enable you to increase the impact of your idea.

It lowers the casualty rate of your idea . . .and enables you to make a quarter work like a dollar and bring more dollars to yourbottom line.

Services to Meet Today’s Challenges

We provide a broad range of integratedcommunications services seldom found infirms with single disciplines.

You can come to us for single, specificproject needs, a full-scale program, or, asmany clients do, let us function as yourmarketing communications department.

Services include:

Marketing: Planning, strategy development,product extensions, intelligence gathering,positioning, etc.

Design: Corporate identity, logos, packaging,displays, exhibitions, brochures, designsystems, web site development.

Media: Print, radio, television, multi-media,presentations, web sites, etc.

Promotion: Consumer and trade incentive programs,contests, targetedcommunications.

Public Relations: Product and corporatepublicity, special events, new productintroductions, etc.

Fine Art: Corporate sales and licensing,custom corporate art, corporate murals, etc.

No matter how small or large, we give each client the same intense service and attention.

So, before you embark on your next projector program, consider our multi-disciplineapproach, instead of a single disciplineservice, built around the idea.

You’ll be surprised at the results.

We approach marketing as a war. Send for a copy of our Warketing piece and you’ll see how it adds meaning to your selling efforts.

“I have the mind of an 8-year-old, but I’m not mentally disabled.” — Lee “Mad Man” Elliot, President, Creative Director



MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

IdentityThe name, logo, and packaging must stand alone inbuilding identity and image, regardless of the amount of dollars that will be spent on communications.

Name, trademark, corporateidentity system andpackaging, create a uniformlook replacing six multi-nametrade/industrial electricalproducts with a single-nameconsumer line.

Name, trademark, and packaging for multi-cultural body powders that match a person’s skin tone.

Ultra high-end residential development,with no golf, tennis or clubhouse, is positioned as a sanctuary. Results:$1 billion in sales.

New packaging and name, “Happy Grass,” for carpeting rejects,helps sell product for three times the price of first quality goods.

Navigational flagsspell out name of $250,000 boat condos.

T H E S A N C T U A R Yat

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Fire your advertising agency.

If you’re not number one or two in yourmarket, you need a lot more than advertising.

You need a company that can develop the strategic ideas to take advantage of theweaknesses and opportunities that exist in your market.

One that can create tactical ideas to outflankthe big boys with all their marketing dollars.

So, if your ad agency isn’t producing theresults you’re looking for . . . fire it.

Then, spend 45 minutes or so with us.We’ll show you how we use “The I Factor”

to produce the results you need and makequarters work like dollars.

Call Lee Elliot at 1.800.421.2358.




MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Positions high-end roofingproduct againstfire-pronewood shakes.The name is across betweenshake andshingle.

Attacking how others sell and dominating the medium with 16 pages for the cost of a one-page ad.

This “best” new product introduction positioned a hardware product tothe female market. It helped generate 300% more sales than projected.

Positioning the management publicationagainst four “labor” magazines, to eliminateprice selling.

It got major engineering firms to dropa fifty-year habit.

Corporate/product ads provided majorbenefits and introduced a new playerinto the shelter material world.

Overcoming the “high-cost” image ofelectricity with “value” advertising.

ImageAdvertising must contain an idea big enough to stop the reader and positioning that helps separate youfrom the competition.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

It didn’t run in a magazine. There was nowaste circulation, because it reached onlythe people and companies we wanted it to.

And it didn’t wind up in the wastebasketat the end of the month. Instead, it hangs onthe office and boardroom walls of thousandsof the largest engineering firms in America.

We call this type of advertisementCommemorative Art. Custom art turned into limited-edition prints that are used by companies and non-profit organizations to announce new products, celebrateanniversaries, raise funds, etc.

The one shown above was used by amajor publishing company to introduce anew information system.

We’ve created Commemorative Art formany companies including Citibank NA,McGraw-Hill, University of Miami College ofMedicine, University of Hartford and Castrol.

If you would like to know more aboutCommemorative Art and murals and how we can help you build an effective marketing program around them,

just give us a call or visit our web site atwww.iamgroupinc.com.

Thisis an advertisement



BRANDING • COMMUNICAT IONS • CORPORATE IDENT ITY • DES IGN • MARKET ING • MOT IVAT ION • PROMOT ION • STRATEG IC PLANNING • COMMEMORAT IVE ART • PUBL IC RELAT IONS

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

ImpactMost programs fail because the idea isn’t big enough to impact the mind of the potential buyer.

To succeed, the idea must stop, excite and get the prospect to respond.

That’s what we do for our clients.

Chimp, trained intwenty minutes tooperate equipment,overcomes buyer’sfear of technologyat trade showsacross the country.

Five-part board game direct mail campaign lets prospects play outobstacles in selling five market segments. Increased client productawareness 85%.

(left) Antique RollsRoyce brings 500,000customers into retailstores and helps sell $65 million worth ofcarpeting in six months.

(below) 68% of thedoctors who receivedthis signed, limited-edition print offerresponded. Mostswitched banks . . .creating a 75% marketshare increase.

Paper dolls and doll house mailing turns CEO’s into kids again and helpsturn business news magazine into consumer publication.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

They run ads with no idea. Or too many ideas. And run them in publications dominated

by the competition.

In addition, they probably had no set objective or objectives that had little chance ofbeing achieved.

Pure suicide.For suicide prevention, give us a call.

B R A N D I N G • C O M M U N I C AT I O N S • C O R P O R AT E I D E N T I T Y • D E S I G N • M A R K E T I N G • M O T I VAT I O N • P R O M O T I O N • S T R AT E G I C P L A N N I N G • C O M M E M O R AT I V E A RT • P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S



Every day, intelligent business people attempt suicide in an area not much larger than this.

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

ImpactTo take advantage of weaknesses and opportunities in the marketplace, one must look beyond normalmedia and seek dramatic ways to communicate ideasand images that impact the buying audiences.

That’s what we do for our clients.

4,000 wedding photographers gain consumer exposure on album company’sconsumer web site.

Carpeting of Fifth Avenue on Columbus Day produces 12 hours of televisionexposure.

Dramatic three-screen presentation positions new travel medium. Sells multi-milliondollars worth of space . . . $3 million at first viewing.

Motion display allows customers to mix and match inserts and frames instantlyand helps sell $15 million in product selling for 15 times competition.

TV commercial for multi-cultural powders. Voice over: “Because all people aren’tcreated equal . . . Equal, the body powders that match your skin tone.”

MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

A concept is an idea that is used to separate onecompany, product or service from another.

It creates the identity or image of the company andwhat it sells.

It’s what gets people to buy.It’s what gets people to sell.To be successful, it must be believable, defendable,

properly executed and exposed to the potential buyer ina non-hostile environment.

A contraceptive is something designed, inadvertentlyor on purpose, to prevent anything from happening.

Most companies use contraceptives in their marketingand communications.

Or turn concepts into contraceptives by failing tocontrol “The I Factor.”

For more information about “The I Factor” and howwe can make it work for you, just give us a call.

Concepts vs.

Contraceptives

B R A N D I N G • COMMUN ICAT IONS • CORPORATE I DENT I T Y • DES IGN • MARKET ING • MOT I VAT ION • PROMOT ION • S TRATEG IC P LANN ING • COMMEMORAT I VE ART • PUBL I C RE L AT IO N S



MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

Every company has at least one product orservice that isn’t moving the way it should.

And when there just aren’t enough dollarsavailable to feed its development, the problemgets even worse.

We’ve built a reputation for creating the “big idea” that turns what are commonlyreferred to as dogs into marketing success stories.

We do it by using what we call “The I Factor.”

And it works.So, if you have a dog, or a product or

service that could become one, give us a call for an obligation-free presentation anddiscussion of your problems.

But, please call us before it eats you out of house and home.

SENDUS YOUR DOG




MoM-005.Insert-8.5x11-6-17 6/23/08 3:50 PM

company insert

Business

e t i n g

n d i n g c o

i c r e

i factorto

o t i o n s t r

i o n s c o r p o r

o n p r o

e i d e n t i t y d