Case Study: GTO, Inc.

Upon engagement Tallahassee, Florida-based GTO, Inc. was a fledgling automatic gate opener manufacturer doing less than $3 million in annual sales. Prior to the founder gate openers were traditionally very expensive thus not accessible to the masses. GTO’s products were affordable but they were having difficulty getting traction in the retail marketplace. The Company was struggling and the founder died unexpectedly. His daughter took over but she wasn’t up for the task. Enter board member Chuck Mitchell. Chuck set about re-engineering the company and had immediate success. They needed their corporate story to be told so that they could get acceptance at retail. We felt that INC. magazine would be the ideal publication to tell that story. After a series of rejections we achieved success with the pitch “perhaps the third time is a charm.” The entire process took nine months but resulted in an 8-page cover story in the prestigious magazine. It literally became a company “brochure.” The Company’s revenues soared to more than $35 million and Chuck eventually sold the company. Interesting sidebar; Chuck sued Wal-Mart and won. We subsequently got them two more major stories in INC.

Case Study: Dryclean USA

Sometimes no publicity is the best publicity. With more than 300 locations around the country, Dryclean USA was the nation’s largest chain of dry cleaning stores. Clearly, reputation is critically important to its business model. CBS’s 48 Hours was planning on doing a show on customer service highlighting “bad” customer service. When a 48 Hours TV crew, acting on a tip, surprised a store manager with an ambush interview, the manager panicked and stonewalled the crew. It set the stage for the Company to be a feature on the show. When we were informed of the situation we did extensive research and realized that the company was not at fault and set about to make sure show producers were armed with proper information. After weeks of calls, emails, etc. it was determined that Dryclean USA was not at fault and was not featured on the show. As a result, the client realized a need for media training which we performed and ironically, used the tape of the show as part of that training.

Case Study: Sawgrass Ford

The automotive industry was one of the hardest hit by the “great recession.” Yet, Sawgrass Ford, South Florida’s leading Ford dealer and one of the nation’s top Ford stores, was prepared for tough times. When the President announced the “Cash for Clunkers” concept, senior management saw an opportunity to capitalize on the program. With the aid of our firm we put together a media event almost immediately following the announcement. Securing a “monster truck” we cleared out a huge lot on the dealerships 23 acres and lined up several old “clunkers.” We arranged for media coverage that included every local TV station (the NBC affiliate broadcast the event live) as well all of the local print media. Moreover, we received coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post and a host of media around the nation. Sawgrass Ford weathered the storm and we are proud to say that we have represented the dealership since it opened its doors nearly 18 years ago.

 
Case Study: MoreVisibility

When MoreVisibility opened its doors in 1999 to provide search engine marketing (SEO) few companies had the slightest idea what SEO was. Moreover, few in mainstream media had significant knowledge of this burgeoning industry. One of my favorite marketing saying is “selling soap is easy, it’s the concept of bathing that’s difficult to sell.” That was clearly the position we were in but a highly concentrated media effort at all levels produced remarkable results including placement in major national media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as well as a host of what soon became a list of industry specific publications. We had an amazing 12- year run with the company and still consult with them. As they bill the company; From Pioneers to Leaders, 15 years and counting, 1999-2015.